


Live Forever?

by TheWomanWithAMessUpMind



Category: One Piece
Genre: Bottom Trafalgar D. Water Law, Drama & Romance, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Breakdown, Out of Character, Top Monkey D. Luffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-07
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:14:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 26,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24050422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWomanWithAMessUpMind/pseuds/TheWomanWithAMessUpMind
Summary: Law woke up in a strange place. Where is he? What happened before he woke up? Will he be able to handle the truth? Read to find out. I don't own One Piece. M/M Don't like? Don't friggin read! Rated M for language and maybe smut in later chapters.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 20
Kudos: 103





	1. Back to the World

**Back to the World**

Opening his eyes, Law was very confused when he saw the outline of a person before him. He moved forward only to touch a glass wall. It was strange to him. Moving his hand in front of him, Law found out that he was in some sort of liquid. This wasn't okay with him. The good thing was that he wasn't drowning, but it was still unusual.

"It seems that he's awake," a masculine voice said. It was slightly muffled because of the strange liquid and the glass in front of him. "Opening the tank now." 

Suddenly, the liquid started to drank from the area, and he was being lowered to the ground. He realized that he had been floating before. The glass panel was opening from the bottom and letting the liquid out that way. When his feet hit the floor, he almost fell over. Law used the walls of the object to keep himself upright.

"The subject seems to be unsteady on his feet. Not unexpected for him. It's only a natural reaction for the circumstances." Law looked up to the man that was speaking to seemingly no one but himself. He had a slightly deep voice. "Do you know who you are?" That question made Law confused.

"I... I'm Trafalgar Law from the North Blue. Captain of the Heart Pirates," Law answered as he tried to take a step forward. He didn't know what was going on around him. He couldn't see the man's face. The bottom half was covered by a medical mask and his eyes were covered by glasses. "Where... Where am I? Who... Who are you?"

"My name's Dr. Vegapunk. You're in my laboratory." The man walked over to a cabinet. He, soon, came back over to Law with some articles of clothing. "Here. These are for you. They were dropped off a few days ago." Law shakily took the clothes from him. "There's a shower room to your left so you can get the gel off your body." He nodded as Vegapunk walked over to a snail and dialed a number.

Stumbling to the room indicated, Law entered and shut the door after himself. It was, indeed, a shower room. He set the clothes to the side before going to stand underneath a showerhead. Turning it on, he began to wash the clumps of gel off his body and clean himself up. He didn't understand anything that was happening. "Why am I here/ What was I doing in the tank?"

When he was finished cleaning himself up, Law slowly dried off. He struggled to get dressed because his movements were sluggish from being asleep. Once he was fully dressed, Law walked out of the room. A new person was in the room. They looked familiar but he wasn't quite sure.

"Are you sure that it worked?" Law knew that voice all too well. He was very confused now.

"Yes, Straw Hat Luffy. I'm sure that he remembers almost everything. Though, I'm not sure about his last memories before now." He gestured to him. "Ask him about it. I can only assure you that he remembers most things. After that, we can do the next thing. But first, you need to ask him if that's what he really wants."

"Can someone, please, explain to me wha the hell's going on here?" Law asked. "Straw Hat-ya? What're you doing here? What's going on?" He watched Luffy turn to him. He looked exactly the same as he remembered him. It was reassuring to him.

"Torao!" Luffy ran over to him before wrapping his arms around him in a hug. He rubbed his face into Law's chest. "I missed you so much!"

"M-Missed me? What happened? Can you tell me?" Luffy nodded as he got off of him. There was something off about the events that were happening around him.

"Vega, I'm going to get lunch with him. Is that okay?" The man was looking at some papers on a table.

"Yes. He should eat something. There's the possibility that he'll need it to get back to normal. But, I really want to know if he can hold it down without throwing it up." Law was grabbed by the hand and led out of the room. He saw that they were in a place that looked similar to a hospital.

They got to a cafeteria. A group of people was sitting together at a table. They all looked very familiar but very different all at the same time. "Luffy! Did it work?!" Law knew that voice. It was Usopp's, but it just didn't match the face.

Luffy led him over to the table. He got him to sit down with him. "Wow. He looks just like he did before. Is that what you really wanted?" Law didn't like that he didn't know what the fuck they were talking about.

"Can someone explain to me what the hell's going on? Who are all of you?" That got him looks of sympathy from around the table. There was something very off about all this.

"Torao-kun, do you not remember us?" Law's eyebrows furrowed. He was sure that she was Robin, but her face didn't match what he remembered her to look like.

"You... You all sound like the Straw Hats, but you don't look like them." He looked at Brook. "Except for Bone-ya and Straw Hat-ya." That got a laugh out of the skeleton.

"We are the Straw Hats," the man that looked like an older Zoro said. Law didn't understand.

"What happened to all of you?"

"Law, what do you remember before you woke up?" Sanji asked. He blew out some smoke as he spoke to him.

"Um..." He had to think really hard about that question. It was fuzzy but he could remember bits and pieces of what had happened. "We... We were fighting Kaido. I... I remember putting my hand to Straw Hat-ya's chest then saying something. Then... it's all blank after that." There was a grim look on everyone's face. "What don't I remember?"

"Law, you gave your life for Luffy," Chopper answered him. It took Law a few moments to process what he was just told. He couldn't quite get what he was telling him.

"Are you saying I used the Perpetual Youth Surgery on Straw Hat-ya?" There was a slow nod from everyone at the table. It took him even longer to acknowledge that. "Then... why am I alive? If I used it, I would be dead."

Everyone looked down. Law looked back to Luffy for answers. "Chopper, can you tell him what happened?" He looked back to the reindeer. Chopper was slightly bigger than what he remembered and that was strange to him.

Luffy got up and walked off to somewhere else. He wanted to ask why but decided not to. "After you... died, Luffy didn't take it well at all. He killed Kaido for making you have to do that." Chopper went quiet for a moment. "When the fight was over, Luffy refused to leave your body behind. So, we carried your body with us. Dr. Vegapunk got in touch with us after a week or so." Law didn't know if he liked where this explanation was going. "He told us that he could.... he could bring you back. Luffy practically jumped at the opportunity. We brought your body to him and he started to work."

"What happened after that?" Law wanted to know what had become of him after he had died.

"I'm not really sure. Luffy was the only one that Dr. Vegapunk would talk to about it." Chopper gave off a deep sigh. "It's been ten years since your death. And it took Dr. Vegapunk ten years to bring you back to life."

There was a long silence between them as they sat there. Law couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So, am I in the same body or not?" That was a question he wanted to know.

"Only Luffy and Dr. Vegapunk know the answer to that. If you really want to know the answer, you can always ask Luffy or him. Though, Luffy might not answer you at first." Law nodded. He wanted to know what had happened to bring him back.

"Torao." Luffy came back to the table with two bowls of soup in his hands. Law thanked him before digging in. It felt like he hadn't eaten in ages. That thought made him want to laugh out loud. _Haha. I've been dead for ten years. That's funny._

After eating, Luffy got Law to follow him back to the room with Vegapunk. "Luffy, how did he fare with food?"

"He didn't throw up." Vegapunk wrote something down in a notebook. Law wondered what was written there.

"Luffy, have you told him what you want to do yet?"

"No. He hasn't told me a Goddamn thing. What does Straw Hat-ya want to do?" Law was getting a little frustrated with this. He was in the dark and wanted to be in the light like everyone else.

"Can you tell him for me?" Luffy asked Vegapunk. Law didn't understand why the kid wanted others to tell him things instead of doing it himself.

"Very well. I understand that this is a... sensitive subject for you to talk about." _Is that the reason he doesn't want to answer some of my questions and get others to do it?_ "Trafalgar, Luffy wants you to live like him." Law didn't understand what he meant.

"Can you explain what you mean by that?"

"Since you did the Perpetual Youth Surgery on him, he wants it to be done to you as well." Law's eyes widened in realization.

"Why?" he asked as he looked down at Luffy. The kid was not looking at him at all. It was as if he didn't want to or couldn't.

"Because I don't want you to die again." There was something else that he wasn't telling him. It was important and Law wanted to know what it was.

"Is that all?" Luffy tensed up at his question. Finally, Luffy looked up at him with tears in his eyes. The look made Law tense up and feel horrible for even asking him that question.

The young man wrapped him in a hug before answering him. "I don't want to live alone. I want you to stay with me. I love you and want you to stay with me." Law felt wetness on his shirt as Luffy started to cry. "I don't want to lose you again. It was horrible the first time and it almost made me want to die with you.' He couldn't believe what he was hearing from the other. "The others will die someday but I'll never die. Chopper told me what the surgery you did would do to me. I don't want to live alone without someone." Luffy rubbed his face into his shirt like he was trying to merge with it. "Even Sabo will die someday."

Law, hesitantly, placed a hand on his back. He understood what Luffy was getting at. The kid would live forever and have no one around him anymore. There wouldn't be a single person he knew to be with him. It was a horrible life to live. "S-Straw Hat-ya... it's... it's okay. I understand." 

Luffy lifted his head. "Then, will you?" Tears stained his face. Law didn't know if he wanted to do that. It wasn't something he had ever thought about doing. Living forever.

"I... I don't know." Luffy still smiled.

"Mr. Trafalgar, we have a person on standby that's willing to use that surgery on you. Take as much time as you need to think it over. I do need you to stay at the laboratory for the time being to make sure you're alright, though."

"That should be fine," Law replied. He didn't know how to feel to know that someone was on standby to die for him. It was not a good thing to know.

"I've been letting the Straw Hat Pirates stay here without the Navy nor the Government knowing. This was a personal... experiment... that I was willing to do with Luffy's permission."

That brought up the question he had asked Chopper before eating lunch. "I have a question to ask."

"Ask away. I'll answer any questions you have for me." Law nodded as Vegapunk put his hands behind his back.

"Am I in my original body or not?" There was a long, tense silence after the question was asked. Vegapunk lowered his head. That was not always a good sign. He had learned that it meant that there was something that he didn't want to know.

"Follow me." Vegapunk walked out of the room. Law followed him with Luffy right behind him. _Is there something bad he's going to show me? What is it that happened?_ Law wondered what was going to happen.

Vegapunk stopped at a door a few doors down from the room they had been in. Law read the words right above the door. It was his name. "Is there a reason that my name's above this door?" The man nodded as he keyed in a password to open it.

"You may go in. There's a container in the back of the room. You may open it to see what's inside." Law nodded. Vegapunk grabbed his arm before he could even set a foot inside the room. "I want you to know that your mind might not be ready to handle what you're about to see. It... is not something a person would ever want to see."

"Are you saying that I should wait to see what it is?"

"No. I'm just saying that if you think you're ready, I'm not stopping you from looking into the container." Vegapunk let him go. "You can look now or later. You have as long as you want to know the truth to your question."

Law nodded again. He decided he wanted to know then. Taking a step inside the room, Law noticed that the room was freezing. "Torao, I'm going to stay by the door." He nodded to Luffy as he walked to the back of the room.

There was a pure white, metal pod about seven feet long and four feet wide against the wall. It was pretty much the only object in the room. "You can press the button on the side to open it," Vegapunk told him as he approached it.

Doing as he was told, Law looked for the button. There was a large, dark-blue button about halfway down the left side. Pressing it, Law waited for something bad to happen. The container hissed as it opened. Smoke billowed out of it as it opened up. Prying it the rest of the way open, he waited for the smoke to clear so he could see what was inside the pod.

When it did clear, Law stood in shock. He couldn't believe what he saw in the container. It was not something he ever thought he would see in his life. Law stared into the pod for what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes. "Torao, are you okay?" he didn't answer the other. He was still trying to understand what he was seeing.

Law couldn't take his eyes off of what was in front of him. His body was in the pod. He was beaten and bloody but somehow, looked peaceful as he laid there. Reaching out a heavily shaking hand, Law touched his own face. The skin was extremely cold but felt like his own. He looked just like how he did when he remembered fighting Kaido. The only exception was that he was more beat up than he previously thought.

His features were still the same and everything was just... so real. It was like looking at himself from outside his own body. It was not okay with him at all. His eyes roamed over his body. He was still wearing the same clothes from that day. His black and white yukata, orange sash, his brown jittoku with yellow five-petal flower patters and spots, and his earrings. His zori and hat were missing, though.

Taking a closer look at his head, Law saw a thin line around the crown of his head. "Wh-What is... is with the... l-line?" Law asked with a shaky voice. He couldn't help it. Law was freaking the fuck out on the inside.

"Well, I thought it would work better, with memories and such, if I used the original brain," Vegapunk answered. He sounded worried about how Law spoke. "Are you okay?" Law continued to stare at his own body.

"Torao, can you answer us? Are you okay?" Law still didn't answer them. _NO! I'M NOT FUCKING OKAY! I'M LOOKING AT MY OWN DEAD BODY!_ Law didn't say that to them. He didn't have the will to tell them that.

Moving his left hand across his original face, Law did the same to his face with his right hand. Every detail was correct. Every mark, indention, and texture were the same as what his original had. It was disturbing and scary as shit.

"Y-You... c-cloned me." It was more of a statement than a question. There was silence for Gods knew how long before Vegapunk replied to his question. It wasn't something he liked but he sort of understood his reasoning.

"I... couldn't use your original body. It wasn't possible since you were all beat up and wounded badly. I couldn't heal you because you were already dead." Law just nodded. "I was able to take a sample of your blood and recreate your body from scratch. I was meticulous to make every part of you the same. That's why it took me ten years to get you where you are right now." He nodded again. It was all he could muster to do at the moment. "I know it's not something you're okay with, but Luffy insisted that I do this when I proposed it. It was also an experiment that I really wanted to try. The Government never knew that I was doing this. I kept it under wraps for the sake of Luffy."

Law said nothing to him. He didn't know what to say. He was still trying to process what he couldn't take his eyes away from. Law took his own hand into his. There was no life in his body anymore. There was something not quite right about seeing yourself like this.

Slowly, Law sunk to his knees, still holding onto his own hand. "Torao, is everything alright?" Luffy asked him again as he stepped closer to him. Law still didn't acknowledge him.

Opening his mouth, Law started to scream. He didn't know what else to do. It was a scream of fear, sadness, and shock. It was something that felt like he needed to do at the time. "Luffy, this is what I was afraid of! He wasn't ready for this!" Vegapunk shouted over Law's screaming.

"What should I do?!" Luffy yelled back to him. He was so close to Law. He was still screaming as tears escaped his eyes and fell to the tiled floor.

"Get him out of here! He needs to rest from all of this!" Law felt hands grab him. He tightened his grip on his own hand.

"He won't let go!" Someone rushed over to him.

"I'm sorry, Trafalgar! But this is necessary for you right now!" Vegapunk apologized to him as a sting entered his neck. After a minute, his screaming slowly died down to nothing. His body was relaxing, and his consciousness was fading away.

"Will it damage him in any way?" he heard Luffy ask. He didn't know what he was talking about.

"It shouldn't. It's only a mild sedative. He should be awake in just a few hours after he falls asleep." Law felt his grip on his hand start to slip. He didn't want that. It was like letting go of his own past. His past life.

"Torao." Sluggishly, Law lifted his head to look up to Luffy. He looked to be on the verge of tears. Law couldn't really tell, though, because of his blurry vision from his own tears and the medicine. "I'm really sorry about this. Please, forgive me if I've upset you in any way."

Law didn't say anything before he fell unconscious from the medicine. He didn't want to sleep but knew he couldn't fight it off. Law hoped that he would be able to handle it better when he got up from his nap.

**If you all like this story so far, please, let me know. It will help me greatly. Have a fantastic day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. The stage before frostbite is called "frostnip".**

**2\. Snails have 14,000 teeth and some can even kill you.**

**3\. Sonic the Hedgehog's full name is actually Ogilvie Maurice Hedgehog.**

**4\. Most toilet paper sold for home use in France is pink.**


	2. Learning How It Was Done

**Learning How It Was Done**

Voices were conversing as Law regained consciousness. He didn't let them know he was up and just decided to listen to them talk. "He's in stable condition. The dose of the sedative was a little much on his body, but he should be fine. It won't be long now for him to wake up, though," Vegapunk said.

"So, he wasn't damaged?" Luffy asked with worry.

"No. He's perfectly fine. He just wasn't ready for so much stress on his mind. He just came back." There was the sound of machines around him. Like in a hospital room. "It didn't hurt him in any way, but I can't say the same for his mind. You'll have to ask him about that."

Law slowly opened his eyes. He knew that he was still in the same facility. Probably a different room, though. Law, languidly, sat up and looked around the room. Luffy and Vegapunk were looking at something on the other side of the room.

Feeling something in his arm, Law looked down to find an IV drip in it. He wondered what had happened for them to have had to use it that. Gradually, he started to remember what he saw before he passed out. It was a horrible sight, but he understood why it had happened.

"Trafalgar, I wasn't expecting you to be up this soon," Vegapunk said to him as he came over to stand next to the bed. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Y-Yes," Law answered. His tongue was slightly heavy in his mouth. Law had seen worse things in his life than what he saw. It had hurt him more to have seen Corazon dead than to see his own dead body before him. That isn't normal, is it? Should he be more disturbed to see it? Or should he be feeling the same way as he did at that moment? Which was just being disturbed. 

"Torao, are you going to be okay?" Luffy asked. He was looking at him with sorrowful and worried eyes. The worry was something that Law had gotten used to when he was with the Straw Hats. They worried about each other a lot. Even him when he was there.

"Yes."

"Your reaction was perfectly natural, but I didn't count on it being as bad as it was." Vegapunk bowed his head in apology. "I'm sorry. I should've been more pressing on the matter and got you to wait until you were ready. I take full responsibility for this."

"No. I insisted that I wanted to know the truth about what happened." Law sat against the headboard of the bed. The room was almost just like a hospital room. "To be honest, I wasn't as upset nor disturbed as I thought I should've been."

"Why is that?" Vegapunk asked as he checked his IV bag. Luffy hopped up onto the bed next to him. He proceeded to lay down beside Law and took his left hand in both of his.

"I don't know. To me, seeing Cora-san dead in the snow that day was more hurtful and scarring that seeing my own dead body before me." Law didn't even understand why he thought that way. _Must be all the shit I've had to endure during my life._

"So, are you saying that you've come to terms with you being recreated?" Luffy started to draw patterns on the palm of his hand.

"I guess so. It isn't bothering me anymore. Especially now that I know why I was recreated." Luffy hugged his arm to his chest. It was sweet and made Luffy look like a giddy child.

"Does that mean you agree with me?" Luffy asked. He sounded nervous to ask the question. It was strange for him but was used to it. Bepo was always nervous about most things.

"Straw Hat-ya..." Law looked down at Luffy. The kid was giving him those puppy-dog eyes as he pleaded at him. It was almost heartbreaking at how desperate the kid was acting about him saying yes to his request. Sighing, Law made his decision. "I'll accept it. I'll get the surgery."

Luffy shot up and brought him in for a hug and tight hug. Law hugged him back. He knew that Luffy didn't like being alone. He was told that by his crew and Luffy's older brother, Sabo. It wasn't a nice thing. Being alone. It was the worst thing in Law's opinion. But he had been alone for so long.

"Trafalgar, I would like to inform you about what we are going to do after you get the surgery and the person is no longer among us," Vegapunk spoke to get his attention. Law looked over at him.

"What is that?"

"We're going to get the Ope-Ope fruit back for you to eat once again." Law let the information settle in. _They're going to let me have my devil fruit back. Is that really a good choice for him to make? Why is he so willing to do this for me?_

"Why are you so willing to help me get back to normal? Why're you so willing to help Straw Hat-ya if you work for the Government?" Those were questions that he wanted to know the answers to. It wasn't completely okay with him.

"There are.... personal reasons I'm doing this." Law gave him a look that told him to explain. Vegapunk nodded. "I knew Luffy's mother. She had done a lot for me when she was around. So did Garp and Dragon." Law was shocked to hear this. "I did this to repay Luffy's family for what they've done for me. It was something I've been meaning to do for a very long time."

Luffy laid his head in Law's lap. He wasn't bothered by it in the least. It was probably from being on the Thousand Sunny for as long as he had been. "So, how long will I have to stay here?"

"About a week or so. Give or take a few extra days. Don't worry about being found out. This part of the facility's hidden from the Government. They don't have the floor plans for this part." Law nodded. "I had this all set up a while back to try what I have and succeeded at."

"You were planning on recreating a human before I died?" It was an interesting thing to know about the man he knew absolutely nothing about.

"Yes. About a decade or so before your... untimely death occurred. I never got around to it because the Government was keeping me busy and I didn't have a person that I wanted nor needed to bring back." That made sense to Law. You have to have a person to recreate them. "There were some... obstacles that I had to overcome with recreating you."

"What were those? What happened before now?" Law was curious as to what the man had to fix to get him the way he was now.

"Well, I did recreate your body from scratch. That was an obstacle in and of itself. Making you look the exact same with the same scars and markings was very difficult." Law nodded as he ran his hand through Luffy's hair. It was comforting as he heard the other start snoring. He was more interested in what he and Vegapunk were discussing.

"So, how did you overcome that?" Vegapunk rolled up a chair to sit next to the bed. He was in a more relaxed manner but still had his face covered by the glasses and mask. It was as if he never took them or off. Or was afraid of people seeing his face. It could be one or the other. Maybe something else altogether.

"I had to recreate the markings myself." Law paled at that.

"You cut my arm back off and shot me?" He couldn't believe what he had just been told.

"Yes. It was the only way to get the scar on your arm and the ones on your stomach back. I stitched your arm back together and let it heal. The scars turned out to look just like the ones on your original body. The other scars that you obtained I did the same with." Vegapunk had an apologetic air around him. "I'm sorry for doing that, but Luffy wanted you just like you were before you died. Scars, markings, and all."

"I understand. He wouldn't settle for anything less." Vegapunk shook his head.

"It took me eight and a half years to recreate your body to look identical to your original body." Law nodded. "The other year and a half were me testing to see if your body reacted the correct way to stimuli." Law nodded as he thought for a second.

"You told me that you created this body from scratch, right?" Vegapunk agreed to his question. "That means you recreated my brain as well. Why did you put my old brain in my head and not leave the one that was created in?"

"That was also an obstacle that I had to find a way around." He scratched the back of his head. It didn't even more the mask. "When I made your body, it did recreate a brain to go with it. But... when I went to see if you remembered anything at all..." Law didn't like where this was going. "You didn't remember anything. Not even how to speak. It was as if you were a newborn baby." He was shocked to hear that. "So, I had a theory that if I took your old brain and put it inside the new body, maybe your memories would come back. It was a stretch, but, in the end, it worked out quite perfectly."

"Tony-ya told me that you would only talk to Straw Hat-ya about all of this. Why's that?"

"Because I didn't want word getting out about what I was doing down here." Vegapunk's aura turned to slight anger. "There are people in this facility that like to gossip with the Navy soldiers and such. Not good for Luffy and his crew."

Law nodded and looked down at Luffy. "So, does the world know that I died?" That was the big question that he had for the man. He couldn't make Luffy tell him because he was asleep.

"No. The world just thinks that you disappeared. I kept that under wraps as well as my project. The only ones that knew you had died were your crew and Luffy's crew." Law just remembered his crew.

"My crew. How are they? What've they been doing for the past ten years?" Are they doing okay?" It made him worry about them. They didn't have their Captain for a whole decade. That wasn't a good thing for him to do. He cared a lot about his crew.

"They're doing just fine. I've taken them in as well." Law's eyes widened. _They're here?! Why wasn't I told about this?!_ "They do look a little different from when you last saw them. It's been ten years, after all."

"Did they know about what you were doing?" Vegapunk nodded. "I thought only you and Straw Hat-ya knew about it?"

"On the outside of here, only Luffy knew about it. Your crew's been living in this part of the facility for ten years. I took them in as another request from Luffy. He thought it was better than to le them out in the world without you. I agreed with him." Law nodded. "They're very good at doing surgeries and taking care of the sick as well as doing repairs."

"You let them work here?" Vegapunk nodded again.

"To keep them from looking suspicious when they wanted to get some fresh air, I allowed them to do what they knew how to. It wasn't difficult to know what each one was good at. Jean Bart is very good at fixing machines and such. Most of your crew's good at tending to the sick, fixing broken machine parts, and performing surgeries on others."

Law smiled at the praise. "I taught them how to do the medical things. The repairing part they learned from each other. Mostly Penguin and Shachi. They were the ones that could fix things better than me. They taught me some of what I know about fixing things." He thought about his best friend, Bepo. "What about Bepo? He's a bear that doesn't really fit in with humans."

"We snuck him out to get fresh air when he wanted it. It wasn't that hard because most of the Marines were either injured or just didn't question what I was doing." Law nodded at that. That was a good reason. Vegapunk was the best scientist that the world could ever ask for.

"You can meet your crew whenever you feel free to. They're in the common room with the others." Vegapunk rolled his chair back over to the desk before going through some papers. "Just be careful on your feet. I don't know how the sedative messed with your motor skills like walking, etc. Talking seems to be easy. That's a good start.

"I think I'm going to stay here for a while. I'm tired." Vegapunk nodded without looking at him. "What has Straw Hat-ya been up to since my death?" Law was interested in what the hyperactive kid had done while he was waiting for him to come back.

"Do you really want to know? You might be jealous." Law raised an eyebrow at his comment after the question.

"Why would I be jealous? What did he do?" Vegapunk spun around before getting up. He walked over to the sleeping man next to him. Law watched as he placed a gloved hand into Luffy's shirt.

It was as if he was looking for something in his shirt. "I knew he has it on him. I never saw him without it," Vegapunk mumbled as he continued to search for something. It made Law feel weird to see him do that to Luffy.

"What're you looking for?" He was curious as to why he would have to search Luffy for something to show him.

Without answering Law, Vegapunk stopped moving his hand after a minute or so. Carefully, he pulled something out of Luffy's shirt. Law saw that it was something golden. Like a piece of jewelry or something.

"This. He was able to obtain this while you were gone." Vegapunk held it up in the light. It twinkled in the light. The object was attached to a string around Luffy's neck. Taking a closer look, Law was in awe at what it was. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Is... Is that..." He didn't even have the courage to ask the important question. The question that was eating at him at that very moment. Law was astonished that Luffy had accomplished what people died trying to do. And in only ten years.

"Yes. It's the One Piece. He found it about seven years after he brought you to me." Vegapunk handed it to him. Law made sure that he wasn't bothering Luffy as he cautiously took the golden object in his hand.

Looking it over, it was, indeed, the legendary One Piece. Thousands of Pirates died trying to get that one piece of gold. He didn't understand why it was so important. It was just a golden coin with a skull on both sides. "I don't understand. Why would people kill each other over just this?" Law wanted to know the reason.

"It's not just a gold coin like others. It's a key to Gol D. Roger's treasure that he had stored away. That's what people fought and killed each other over." Vegapunk went back over to the desk. "It's not just a measly piece of gold. It opens a door to wonders that many can't even imagine."

"So, the One Piece was just a key to the treasure?" The man nodded as he went to looking through papers again.

"Yes. But Luffy has found both the key and the treasury. He's the wealthiest man in the entire world." Law's jaw dropped. He was amazed that the kid was able to do all of this in just seven years.

"That's amazing."

"Yes. Especially because of who he is." Law understood what he meant. He had the D in his name. "He locked the treasury back up after finding it."

"Why?"

"Because he didn't want just anyone getting inside it. He did let Miss Nami take as much treasure as she wanted from it." Law understood Luffy's choice. He smiled. Nami was always a sucker for money. It was nice to know that she hadn't changed in that aspect. "Miss Robin got what she wanted as well. It was also locked away in the vault."

"That's good for her." Law laid back down. Luffy released his arm in favor to wrap around his body. He moved his head to rest it on Law's shoulder as he snuggled closer to him. "I'm going to go back to sleep," he told the other.

"That's fine. More rest should help the sedatives wear off so that you can maybe stand properly when you get back up." There was silence for a few minutes. Only Luffy's snoring could be heard. "Luffy hasn't slept in a week. It's very good to see him actually sleeping."

"Why didn't he sleep?" Law didn't like that the other was neglecting himself.

"He was too excited to sleep when I told him I was nearing completion of bringing you back." Law, now, understood why Luffy was sleeping so deeply on his shoulder. It was all because of him. It made him feel guilty. "Please, don't blame yourself for his situation. It was his choice to stay awake, not yours. He was just so happy to get you back after so long."

"Thanks for the reassurance." Closing his eyes, Law listened to the snoring of Luffy. It was loud but not annoying. Just enough to lull him to sleep. It was nice to know more about how he was made. It made him happy that Luffy fulfilled his lifetime goal. Now, they had an eternity to live together. "I want to do the surgery tomorrow," Law announced just before he followed Luffy into the land of dreams.

**It's nice to know that you all are liking the story. It was based on the theory that Law might give his life for Luffy when the fight with Kaido happens. It just came to mind. Hope you all don't mind it. Here's another chapter. Have a funtastical day. I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. If you die in Amsterdam with no next of kin, and no friends or family to prepare funeral or mourn over the body, a poet will write a poem for you and recite it at your funeral.**

**2\. The Himalayan Honey Bee - the largest of the honey bees - makes a hallucinogenic honey that tribes collect.**

**3\. In 2014, Sony made a cassette tape that can store 185TB of data.**

**4\. The collars on men's dress shirts used to be detachable. This was to save on laundry costs as the collar was the part that needed cleaning the most frequently.** ****


	3. The Truth and Checking

**The Truth and Checking**

Law stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. He had been awake for quite a while. A feeling had woken him up. Luffy was still snoring away beside him. Law wanted to go see himself again. Carefully, he maneuvered out of the bed.

Going over to the desk that Dr. Vegapunk had been working at, Law searched for the code to get into the room with the pod. All of the papers that were scattered on the table pertained to him. They had his vitals, physical reactions, and his thoughts he had told the other before.

Getting to a piece of paper, it talked about his original body. It was like a diary page or a page of research. He decided to read what was written there by the scientist.

_Day 3,094_

_I have, successfully, recreated the body of Trafalgar Law. His original body is in cryostasis so that it can be preserved. Straw Hat Luffy visited me once again. I allowed him to visit the original but didn't tell him about my progress with the recreation of his best friend. But I think he sees the man as more than just a friend. He spends hours upon hours in the room with the cryo pod. I can hear him talking every time I walk past the room. I have tested the brain in the recreation. It doesn't work the way I hoped it would. He doesn't remember anything, and he babbles like a newborn child. Not a good thing. I'm thinking of removing his brain from the original body and placing it in the recreated body. I have a theory that it would bring back his memories. I hope it works for me. Not to mention that I have to remake his scars. That's going to be very difficult. I have only one shot at this. If I mess up, all of my progress will be ruined and Luffy will be pissed at me. This is going to be one hell of a time doing. I need to go get his original body and measure all of the scars he has. I don't trust anyone else with the job of moving him. There's a possibility that they'll damage his body more than it already is. I'll write another report tomorrow and see how it goes._

Law picked up another paper. It was dated a few days later after the one that he had just read. Scanning it, it was about the transfer of the brains. He chose to read that one as well.

_Day 3,106_

_I have successfully transferred the original brain to the new body. I have to wait for the wound to heal before I can check to see if it works properly. This wasn't easy. The wound on his head from opening it will not scar. I'll make sure of that. Luffy has been here for more than a week. He was frustrated when I moved Law into my lab and wouldn't let him in. I didn't want him to see what I was doing with him. I told him about my theory, but he wasn't all that willing for me to do it. He's anxious for my project to be done. I'm afraid that it'll take longer than I thought it would. It has been eight and a half years, but I'm almost done. I just hope that Luffy will bear with me and wait instead of rushing and ruining the progress that I've made so far. I hope this worked right, for my sake and Trafalgar's._

Still reading through the papers, he came across one that made him freeze and almost drop it. _N-No... He... He told me that I have never been awake. He... He lied to me._ Law couldn't believe what was written on the paper.

_Day 3,578_

_I have done another test on Law while he was conscious. I feel horrible for what I'm doing, but I need to gather my information for when I actually wake him up permanently. This is the 112th test I have given him to test his memory and reflexes. The test was on his skills in fighting. He was able to dodge, attack, and save all of the targets and enemies. His swordsmanship is still the same as back then. Bepo asked me about his progress. I have told the polar bear that I'm still working on it. I didn't lie because I know about their relationship. I gave him the code for the room with his cryo pod. I need to write it down once again to remind myself just in case. It's 1006. Law's birthday. It was good to give it that code since he's in that room. I hope that the bear doesn't do anything unreasonable in that room. Luffy's getting to be quite a handful when I have to forcibly remove him from the room to go back to his crew. They worry consistently about the man. He isn't his energetic self like before. I think it's due to him coming back. I believe that seeing his dead friend's body depresses him. I'm thinking about refusing him access to the room so that he can stop worrying the others._

Putting the paper down, Law rose from the chair. He had what he had been looking for and more. Quietly, he left the room and made his way to the room with his body. He didn't encounter anyone in the hall.

Arriving at his destination, he punched in the code. Law stepped into the room when the door opened. The door closed behind him as he walked to the pod. Law pressed the same button as before. It opened and the smoke came out again. Soon enough, he was face to face with himself again.

Ignoring the freezing cold room and air coming from the pod, Law decided what he wanted to do. He put his arms under his body and lifted it out of the pod. He wanted a better, closer look at himself.

Laying his body on the floor, Law saw that the blood on his body was dried and frozen to his skin. He removed his shirt before the jittoku and the top of his yukata on him. He compared their scars on their arms. They were identical, as if they were birthmarks and not scars from a battle. Looking at his stomach where he was shot multiple times, there were identical scars. The same sizes, same shapes, and in the same exact places. It was nice to know that the man tried his hardest and best to recreate them so much.

He heard shouting outside the room. "Where could he have gone?! You were supposed to be watching him!" That sounded like Penguin.

"I know I was! I went to sleep with him and woke up with him gone! Don't put all the blame on me! I haven't slept in a week! Give me a fucking break!" Luffy sounded pissed off and in distress.

"Luffy, he had been looking at my papers," Vegapunk spoke up. Law wasn't worried about the man noticing what he had done.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Penguin asked. He didn't seem as angry as before.

"Both good and bad." There was silence for a moment. "I think he was mainly looking for something. I have a hunch on what it could be. Follow me."

The sound of the buttons being pressed made him rush to the door. He pressed the emergency lock button next to the door. It kept the door from being opened from the outside. Law looked out the window to the door at the three of them. 

"Torao, what're you doing?" Luffy, Penguin, and Vegapunk were standing just outside the door. He kept his finger on the emergency lock.

"I don't want to be disturbed. I'm checking something." He didn't want to tell them exactly what he was looking at.

"Trafalgar, please, open the door. You shouldn't stay in the room for too long if you aren't prepared for the cold." The man looked down at his chest. "Where did your shirt go? Law, what're you doing in there?"

Law didn't lower his gaze from the window. "I told you that I'm checking something. I'll leave when I'm done." He was getting annoyed with them. _Can't I check my own Goddamn body to see if he actually was able to recreate me perfectly?_

"Can you, please, open the door, Captain?" Penguin asked. Law shook his head.

"I'll sabotage the door if you don't leave me alone." He had an idea on how to do so that didn't involve breaking it. They gave him a strange look. Sighing, he left the door for a split second. There had been something in his yukata the day he died. He was surprised that they had never found it.

Getting it, he showed it to them. "That's medical tape. How will that sabotage the door?" Vegapunk asked. Law smiled at him.

Taking a piece off, he pressed it to his thumb before attaching it to the button. "Now, try to open it." They tried the code again. It didn't open the door.

"Shit. I showed him how to do that," Penguin confessed. He looked guilty as he lowered his head.

"You showed him how to sabotage something like that?" Vegapunk asked. Penguin slowly nodded. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"In case he needed to do it. He taught me all the medical knowledge I know, and I taught him some of the mechanical knowledge that he knows. That includes how to do that with touchpads." He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I told you to leave me alone. I'll leave this room when I'm good and ready. Go away until then." Hesitating but choosing to follow hid order, the three of them agreed to leave him alone until he was done with what he was doing. They walked away from the door and went to do other things.

Turning back around, Law made his way back over to his body. He got back on his knees. It was a meticulous process of checking his whole body for any types of mistakes. For a couple of hours, Law continued to compare his new body to his old one.

It was amazing. Everything was exactly the same. Every marking and body part was the same. His tattoos were exactly the same. Nothing was out of place. "He really did take the time to recreate me." Law replaced the clothes on his body. He didn't want the. In his mind, his old body needed the clothes more than him.

Once he was redressed, Law picked himself back up and replaced him in the cryo pod. It was nice to see for himself if there were any mistakes. He still didn't close the pod back. Law kept staring at himself.

Knocking on the door made him look in its direction. "Captain, may I come in, please?" Bepo asked. Tears sprang to his eyes. It had been a long time since he had heard his best friend's voice.

Stumbling to the door, Law slipped his shirt back on. His pants had been back on for a while now. "B-Bepo, is... is that really you?" he replied as he got to the door. The bear looked a little older but not too much so that he couldn't recognize him.

"C-Captain..." The polar bear sounded and looked surprised to see him. "You look..." Law removed the tape and allowed him in. Bepo brought him in for a tight hug. The tears that had gathered spilled over and streamed down his cheeks. "You look exactly the same as when you died."

Law hugged him back just as tightly. "I'm sorry for what I did. I didn't mean to leave you all," Law cried into the other's chest. He rubbed his face into the suit.

"You don't have to apologize. We know you did what you did to help us." He felt wetness on his head where Bepo had his face pressing into him. "After you gave your life for Luffy, he was able to get us to Vegapunk safely and we have been taken very good care of. You didn't have to worry about us." Law could only nod as sobs wracked his body. "Don't cry." He fisted the orange suit on his back. Law could tell he was crying as well. "It's okay. You don't have to cry."

"I missed you all so much. And I know that you all missed me too," Law confessed to his best friend. To know that he had left them for ten years hurt him more than they could ever know. They were his life for so long that it almost killed him to know that they were all waiting for him.

"Let's go visit with the others. They've been waiting for you. I know you want to see them as well." Law nodded as tears still ran down his face. Bepo broke away from him. Law saw the tears from his best friend's face.

"Y-Yeah." Law wiped the tears from his face with a smile. "I would like that very much. I wanted to see him they have changed over the years." Bepo smiled at him and wiped his face clean as well. "I need to close the pod before we leave." The polar bear agreed to wait for him.

Walking back to the pod, he pressed the button again. The pod slowly closed, and he saw himself disappear from sight. Bepo took his hand and led him out of the room. It was going to be good to see his crew once again.

"Hah," Law laughed a little.

"What is it? Is there something the matter?" Bepo sounded worried about him.

"No. It's just... It feels like that time..." Law smiled at the memory.

"What time?" The bear sounded confused at his statement.

"When I returned after the fight on Dressrosa. I... I was coming back to get you all." Bepo stopped in his tracks. "Don't you remember?"

"Yes. I remember." Bepo smiled at him again. This time, it was a sad smile. "And then, you left us for a bit longer than we would've liked. But you're back now. That's all that matters to me." Law nodded as he walked with him. He was happy. He couldn't wait to see the other nineteen of them.

**Here you go. Another chapter. Good to know that you all are liking it. Have a magickal day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Trivago, Travelocity, and Orbitz are all owned by the same company. Expedia Inc.**

**2\. Before the term "bloopers" was coined, 'out-takes' were called 'boners'.**

**3\. Baked beans are actually not baked, but stewed.**

**4\. Rowan Atkinson - also known as Mr. Bean - is the voice of Zazu in _The Lion King_.**


	4. Law's Crew and the Surgery

**Law's Crew and the Surgery**

When Law walked into the main room, all of his crew crowded around him and cheered. He got hugs from everyone. It made him smile and almost cry. Most of his crew looked a lot older than he remembered them to be.

"Captain!" The female crewmate was in tears at seeing him. She threw her arms around his torso in a hug and cried into his chest while rubbing her face into it as well. The rest were in a similar state, though. Most were in tears while others were trying so hard to hold back their tears.

"Hey. Don't cry," he said with a smile. He was rubbing Ikkaku on her back as she continued to cry into his chest. "It's okay. I'm really sorry for what I did."

"You don't need to apologize, Cap'," a male crew member replied. He was one of the men that was trying to hold back his tears. "We know you did what you did to help us." Law nodded. He knew that they would understand his actions.

"Why don't we go sit down? You all can tell me how you've been since I've been gone," he offered. All twenty agreed and got him to sit down on a sofa. They sat around him on the ground and nearby furniture.

"We've been working for Dr. Vegapunk since about two weeks after you died," Shachi said. Law nodded.

"It's nice to be able to put what you taught us into practice," another male crew member said with a smile. Everyone nodded.

"We've done surgeries and operations on Marines," Penguin said. "They didn't even notice who we are." Law looked them up and down. They were wearing overalls similar to his but didn't have his symbol on them. "We had to change our outfits to blend in."

"That's just fine," Law said, smiling. He missed his crew so much. "I'm glad to see you all well and good." Tears sprang to his eyes. "I'm really sorry."

They all started crying again. He was stunned. "Captain," another male crewmate said, trying to hold back his tears as best he could. "We told you that you don't have to apologize to us."

It warmed his heart to see how happy they were to see him and that they forgave him for his rash and reckless decision. "Straw Hat Luffy has been checking in on us ever since he brought us here," Ikkaku replied. Her face was wet with tears but had a smile on her face.

"He has?" Law asked. He had heard about the younger man coming by, but not about him talking or even interacting with his crew since then. "Straw Hat-ya never told me that. He just told me that he brought you here."

"Yeah. He would check on us every time he visited." Bepo smiled at that. "He made sure we were comfortable and if Dr. Vegapunk was taking good care of us." That made him proud to have Luffy as a friend.

"Torao." All heads turned to the doorway. Luffy stood there with a smile on his face. "Hey, you guys. How are y'all today?" Law was shocked that he was so casual about it. He wasn't expecting that.

"We're just fine," Shachi answered. He was smiling back at the man. Luffy looked excited about something.

"Are you ready, Torao?" Getting up, Law nodded. His crew was still smiling. _Do they already know what's going to happen? Did Vegapunk-ya tell them about it?_

Luffy took him by the hand and guided him out of the room. Law allowed him to do so. The guy seemed so happy about what was about to happen. "Straw Hat-ya?"

"Hm?" Luffy was holding his hand tightly. Like if he let go, Law would disappear. Forever. It made him feel sad for the man. _I guess that he did miss me as much as Vegapunk-ya had told me he had. I'm sorry for leaving you for so long, Straw Hat-ya._

"My crew told me that you checked in on them when you visited. Is that true?" The man stopped in his tracks. Law was curious. He wondered if he had asked about something too personal.

Slowly, Luffy turned to look at him. Tears were running down his face. Law felt worse about that. "They were the only thing that I had left to you. They knew you so well. I would get Bepo to tell me stories about your adventures."

Going on instinct, Law brought Luffy in for a big hug. He held him close to him. "I'm sorry," he whispered into his hair. "I'm so, so very sorry for what I did." Luffy wrapped his arms around him and fisted the back of his shirt. "I didn't mean to hurt you that much."

Luffy cried into his chest. His body jerked with his sobs. Law allowed him to do so. It didn't bother him that he was showing his kind, compassionate side to the man. That's when a thought came to mind. Am I still older than him or is he now older than me? That's a good question. I think I'll ask Vegapunk-ya about it.

After a minute or so of hugging Luffy to his chest and the other crying, Luffy backed off and wiped his face clean. "Come on. Vegapunk and the woman are waiting for us." Law agreed and allowed the other to grab his hand again and continue walking to where the two were.

In the room, Dr. Vegapunk and an old woman stood near the back of the room. They were talking to each other with their backs to them. Luffy stopped in the middle of the room. The area was filled with medical machines and charts. Like it was used for storage or a research room.

"Are you really sure that you want to do this?" the woman asked. She sounded skeptical about something. "What if the World Government finds out what you have done? Do you know what they'll make you do?"

"I'm already aware of that. But I have kept it secret for a decade, right? I think I can keep it secret for however long I live." Vegapunk sighed. "It's going to be fine. But are you ready?"

The woman crossed her arms before scoffing. "I've been ready ever since I got this damned fruit. I don't think you understand how long I've waited for something like this to come up."

Luffy cleared his throat. It made the two turn around to look at Luffy and Law. "Ah. Luffy. Law. So good that you've come. I believe that you're ready for this, right Law?"

"As ready as I can be." The woman smirked.

"Such an honest man." She laughed. There was something off about her. The old woman had black, graying hair, tannish-pale skin, and dark brown eyes. Wrinkles were all over her face, kind of like Tsuru. She, also, looked sort of similar to Luffy in the face. Something made him think that.

"Law, I would like you to meet Cherry. She's the one that's going to be doing the surgery on you," Vegapunk introduced them.

"I've finally found a way to die. That's all I've wanted for twenty-seven years now." Law was shocked to hear that. "Don't worry about it, kid. I've been alive for way too long. I just need to let go. This surgery will help me with that."

"Why do you want to die so badly?" he asked. It really did confuse him and worry him all the same. She smiled sweetly at him.

"You're concerned for me. I understand why. For a doctor, you don't want anyone to die. It's part of your oath." She shook her head. "You don't need to concern yourself with something as trivial as my life. I've seen too much and don't want to be alive any longer. Been at it for a hundred and fifty-nine years. Longer than any human." Law went to say something, but she held up her hand. "I was the one that volunteered to do this. Don't try to dissuade me from this. I'll die one way or another. At least I can die for another by doing this, right?"

Law lowered his head. "Yes. I... I understand. Are you ready?"

"I've been ready." She walked up to him. Luffy moved to the side to let her come closer to Law. She was about a foot or two taller than him. She placed her hands on his shoulders. "You're a good man. Though, you haven't done good things in the past, you're still a good person at heart. Trust me. You might not understand it now, but you will. In time. You'll have an eternity to figure out what I mean."

Suddenly, a room was created. She didn't even have to say the word. Cherry placed her hand over the spot where his heart was. After a minute, she closed her eyes and a glow spread from where her hand was to all over his body.

As soon as it has started, it stopped. When it was over, Cherry collapsed to the ground in a heap. Vegapunk walked over and lifted her up. "Goodbye, old friend," he said as he set her on a nearby bed. "How do you feel, Mr. Trafalgar?"

Law looked down at his hands. To be honest, he didn't feel any different from before. "Am I supposed to feel something?" He didn't know how the surgery worked like that. Luffy would know, though. "Straw Hat-ya, did anything happen to you when I did it to you?"

Luffy had been standing to the side, watching the whole thing with a blank look on his face. "I almost passed out about a minute or so after. Wasn't expecting it. I guess that it made me exhausted."

"Okay. Should I be waiting for..." Just as he was asking the question, exhaustion hit him full force. He groaned as he was about to collapse. Luffy rushed over to him and caught him before he could fall to the ground.

"It seems that Luffy was right. The surgery sort of exhausts the recipient. That's interesting to know." Law lifted his head in time to see Vegapunk write something down. "I'm glad that you are okay, Law. Though..." He looked back at Cherry. "I'm a little upset to see her go. Cherry was a very helpful and smart woman. She helped me the last time. Now, I have to do it alone."

"What? What did she help you with?" Law asked. Luffy was helping him stay on his feet.

"She helped with finding the Ope-Ope fruit. Now, I don't have her to help me with that. I'll have to find it on my own." There was something that he wasn't saying.

"There's something else to that, right? She left you something, didn't she?" Vegapunk straightened his posture. Law could tell that the man was smiling.

"What a very smart man you are, Law. Yes. She left the device she created for locating the devil fruit." Law could feel that something was off about how the man was staring at him. "I have something to look at."

He wondered what the man was thinking as he turned around. "Vegapunk-ya."

"Hm?" The scientist was messing with something on the desk before him. Cherry was near him, still on the bed.

"Why do you wear the gloves and mask?" That made the other halt his actions. Slowly, he turned around to look at him.

"That's a personal question." Law watched him think it over. "Why do you have tattoos?"

Law realized what he was doing. "Point taken. I won't ask that again." He watched the man grin again under the mask.

"I have something to do. Don't worry about me." Law nodded. Vegapunk went back to his work. Law thought that something was definitely off about how the other was acting since Vegapunk told him he was a smart man. He wanted to know but at the same time, he didn't. He didn't know how he would react if he knew the truth.

"Torao, let's go get breakfast. I'm starving! And you can talk more with your crew." Luffy took him by the hand again. Law looked back as the other man guided him out.

He was able to hear Vegapunk mumble something before they left the room. "This is not good. I hope that this doesn't mess with my plans nor promises."

**It truly makes me happy that you all are enjoying the story so far. Have a magnificent day and I love you all dearly. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. The film with a $100 million budget was _True Lies_ , which was made in 1994.**

**2\. 'Digging a hole to China' is theoretically possible if you start in Argentina.**

**3\. There are cells in the human body called _Faggot cells_ which cause leukemia.**

**4\. Strawberries can also be white or yellow, and some can even taste like pineapples.**


	5. Traveling With Them Again

**Traveling With Them Again**

Law sighed deeply as he looked off the side of the railing. He was on the deck of the Sunny. It looked identical to when he was last aboard it. A few days before, Vegapunk told him that he didn't have to stay in the lab anymore. His week was up but they hadn't been able to locate his devil fruit yet. The scientist told him that one of his crewmates would bring it to him when they found it. Law had agreed earlier that day before Luffy asked if he wanted to travel with them. He happily agreed because they were traveling to go back to Luffy's stash.

"Why are you we going back to your stash again?" he asked Luffy. The man was standing right next to him. Law figured that it was to make sure he was okay.

"Because I want you to pick some things out that you like," he explained. Law nodded. That was a good point. I mean, they were still friends. Now, they would be together forever because they wouldn't be able to die.

"I guess that's a good enough reason."

"Franky fixed up the ship." 

"Huh? It looked exactly the same. What do you mean?" Law was confused as he looked at him.

"He added a few new rooms to it." Luffy grinned widely. "One of them is a room for you. Franky made a room especially for you." Law raised an eyebrow. "It's so you can stay on the Sunny for however long you want to."

"Oh. I see." He looked back out to the sea. It was a beautiful sight. _Funny. Now, I can swim. I don't have to worry about drowning if I fall into it. He chuckled softly. I don't die either way. I can't die_.

"Do you find something funny?" Robin asked as she walked up to the. He turned his attention to her. They got along well when he was on their ship for a bit. Mostly because they had a similar way of thinking and a morbid sense of humor.

"I was just thinking that if I fall into the water, I would be able to swim right now," he began to explain. "I won't drown." A louder chuckle escaped him. "If I fall in with my devil fruit, I wouldn't die anyway."

"Oh?"

"I can't die. If I call into the water, I'll just float to the bottom without worrying about drowning." Robin chuckled a little.

"Torao, that's not funny."

"Actually, Luffy, it's a little funny." The archeologist pointed to her Captain. "You're the same. If you fall into the ocean, you won't be able to get out, but you won't be able to get out, but you won't die either." Law almost laughed outright at the picture of Luffy flailing about in the water.

"That's why I find it funny," he stated. "Nothing can kill us." He turned back to the ocean. "Even if we get chopped into pieces, we'll be able to put ourselves back together. Nothing will happen to us."

"Torao-kun, do you mean that you can fix yourself up after you get hurt?"

"I mean that if Straw Hat-ya and I were to be sliced up, we'll be able to put ourselves back together like when I chopped people up with my devil fruit. It's like they're amputating us, and we have no problem getting back to normal."

"That's amazing," Robin said. He saw her eyes light up with fascination. "Can you tell me more about what happens with this surgery in place?"

"Sure. I can show you." He looked over to Luffy. "I'll use him and myself as an example. Does anyone know where my nodachi is?"

"Yes. Zoro was in charge of it. He should still have it around somewhere," Luffy replied with excitement.

Law thanked him before going to find the said man. He was chilling out in the men's bedroom. Law asked him for Kikoku back. The man, gladly, gave her back to him. "What's with that attitude?" he asked him.

"What do you mean?"

"You seem to be relieved to give her back to me. Why's that?"

"She's been a handful. Your nodachi wouldn't stop shaking ever since you died." He scratched the back of his head as he sat on one of the beds. "She stopped when you came back."

"That's expected." Law put her over his shoulder like he always did. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"No problem. Just... try to keep her happy. I don't like her being like that." Law chuckled.

"Don't worry. I'm going to stay with her from now on." He went to leave the room. "Oh. If you want to see something interesting, meet us on the deck. I want to show everyone something. Get the others to join us as well."

Zoro agreed before following him out. Law met Robin and Luffy on the deck near the head of the ship. They seemed to be waiting for him to return. Robin and Luffy were talking to each other. Law found it heartwarming that they were acting the same exact way that they had the last time he saw them.

"Alright. I'm going to show the whole crew what I want to show you, Nico-ya. It'll help you all understand our position from now on," Law announced as he walked up.

"Really? Are you going to demonstrate with Luffy?"

"Yes. We'll be demonstrating on each other." Luffy looked confused. "Don't worry. We can't hurt each other. We'll be just fine." The guy still didn't look convinced but said nothing more about it.

When the whole crew was gathered on the deck, Nami stepped forward. "Law, is there a reason you wanted us to meet here?"

"Yes. I'm going to show you how the surgery works on the both of us." They all nodded. "Straw Hat-ya," the other Captain looked at him, "I want you to face me and stand as still as you can be."

"Alright." Luffy turned his body to him. "What're you going to do?"

"Just face me." He pulled Kikoku from her sheath. "Don't flinch or I might do more damage than I originally planned."

"Damage? Law, what're you fixing to do?" Usopp sounded nervous. Just like he remembered him to be.

Without saying another word, Law rushed at Luffy and stabbed the nodachi right through Luffy's heart. The entire crew gasped as they saw it sticking out of Luffy's back. Luffy didn't say anything as his eyes widened. Law stood up straight.

"Straw Hat-ya, can you feel it?"

"I can feel the sword in my body."

"Alright. Do you feel any pain? Is it hurting you?"

"No. I don't feel any pain. Should I be?"

"No. You aren't. The surgery doesn't allow you to get hurt or even feel the pain of something that's supposed to kill you." He withdrew the weapon from his chest. "As you can see, there's no blood nor is his heart sticking out on it."

The rest of the crew seemed to be speechless. Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, and Brook's jaws were dropped. It was as if they couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. Robin and Zoro just looked shocked.

"As I was telling you earlier, Nico-ya," he sliced off Luffy's left arm, "it doesn't harm the person." Grabbing up the appendage off the deck, Law reattached it to Luffy's body. "As you can see, it goes back on the same as when I used my nodachi in the Room."

"So, does it work on you as well?" Robin asked. She seemed the most interested in what was happening. The other's had expressions of horror at her question.

"Yes." He walked up to Luffy before holding out Kikoku to him. "Here, I want you to stab me through the head."

Luffy just looked down at it. "No. I'm not going to stab you," he said with an emotionless voice. It was as if he couldn't believe that Law asked him to do such a thing.

"You won't hurt me. I'm just showing you how it works."

"No! I'm not going to do it!"

Huffing, Law turned to Zoro. "Zoro-ya, can you do it instead?"

"No. He won't do it either."

"Straw Hat-ya, you're being unreasonable. I'm not going to get hurt."

"I don't want anyone to attack you!" Luffy shouted at him.

Law was getting angry now. "He's not going to hurt me!" he yelled back. "Zoro-ya, run at me at full speed! Stab me through the head!"

Zoro stood up before looking between them. "Don't you dare do it!" Luffy screamed at him.

"Don't listen to him! I want you to use your full strength! Stab me now!"

Before Luffy could say anything else, Zoro unsheathed Enma then rushed at Law and did as he asked. Luffy gasped as it went straight through the front of his skull. The whole deck was silent as Zoro backed up from him. Law could feel the pressure of having the weapon in his head, but no pain. It just made his head feel heavy.

"ZORO! I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO IT!" Luffy shrieked at his first mate.

"I told him to do it," Law said calmly. He grabbed the handle of the sword before pulling it out of his head. "See? No problem." He handed the weapon back to Zoro. "I'm perfectly fine. I'm not hurt, and the wound's already healing." Law turned to Luffy. "I'm trying to show you that you don't have to worry about me dying again."

Luffy raised a fist before punching him in the chest. It sent Law skirting to the other side of the deck. "You don't have to do it in such a careless manner!" 

"Luffy, you shouldn't get angry at him. He was only trying to make you feel better about when he gets into fights with others," Nami informed him, trying to reason with her Captain.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he said as he came a little closer to him. "I just wanted to make sure you understood the position we're in when it comes to life or death situations. They aren't life or death for us. We just won't die?"

"What about broken bones?" Chopper piped up.

"Simple. They can still break. We can just put them back together and wait a few minutes. Depending on the severity of the wound, it will take a certain time to heal. As you can see," he pointed to his head, "my head is already healed. It only took it a minute to do so. Straw Hat-ya's arm was fixed almost instantly."

"This is an amazing thing to figure out. I never knew something like this could even exist." Brook looked amazed as he walked up to them. "It's sort of like how my devil fruit works." They all looked at him. "My devil fruit allows me to come back to life after I die. The only problem is that it doesn't preserve my body. It will decay over time." Law nodded. "Except, if I die now, I'll die permanently."

"I see. That's a very good comparison," Robin said. It was a really good example. Law found that the skeleton wasn't as dumb as he looked and pretended to be. He was pretty smart and knowledgeable about his own devil fruit.

Luffy was still fuming as he stared at Law. "Don't you ever do that again," he growled out at Law.

"What's got you so angry? I was just..." He didn't get to finish his sentence. Luffy ran up to him and punched him again. This time, though, it sent Law over the edge of the ship.

"LUFFY!" he heard all of the others scream. He heard the sound of the wind around him before he hit the water.

After a minute or so, he swam to the surface. The ship was stopped right next to him. He spat out some water before looking up. He laughed a little as he swam around for a minute. Law wasn't angry. He understood that he probably crossed a line with Luffy. That's why he wasn't angry.

"Law! Are you okay?!" Sanji almost shot off the railing as he appeared over it. "Luffy! Don't you know how dangerous that was?! What if he lost a part of himself and couldn't get it back?! You still don't think things through!"

"I'm fine," Law called to him. "I'm not hurt." He chuckled a little. "I'm actually having a great time. I can swim again."

"You could've gotten hurt," the cook countered.

"But I'm not. Don't get angry with him. I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, nor did he get me hurt." Law swam to the side of the ship. "Can someone throw something down for me to get back up again?"

"Luffy! Come help him out!"

An arm came down to land next to him. Law grabbed onto it before he was pulled back up. Since he had landed in the water, he was soaking wet. He wanted to laugh again. The reason for that was because the water wasn't making him weak. He was able to do stuff that he used to when he was a kid. Unconcealed chuckled came from him as he stood there.

"Did he go crazy?" Usopp asked. "This isn't the Law we know."

"I'm fine," he replied. "I just... miss swimming." Law looked back to the sea. "I haven't been able to swim since I was thirteen. That was the age I got my devil fruit."

"That's pretty young."

"I got mine at seven," Luffy announced. Law guessed that he wasn't angry at him anymore.

"What? Seven?" Zoro asked.

"Yeah. I accidentally ate it."

"I was force-fed mine," Law said. They all looked at him with wide eyes. "I told him I wasn't ready to be a devil fruit eater, but he didn't listen to me. He mostly did it to save my life. I'm grateful for him doing that." He shrugged. "I don't hate him for it. I'm happy he gave me another chance at life."

"That's really sad but happy at the same time," Chopper said. "You were force-fed your own devil fruit to save your life."

"Yeah. It was nice. I was able to cure myself and survive." He sighed. "But it was also the death of me. I used it to give Straw Hat-ya eternal life."

Luffy beamed at that. "And you had the same thing done to you." Law nodded. "Now, we can live together forever."

"Well, where else am I supposed to live?"

That made the other laugh before hugging him. "We're going to be together forever!"

Nami, Robin, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp gave him strange looks. He had never seen them before. Law raised an eyebrow at them as he hugged Luffy back. "Law, we would like to speak to you in private at some point," Sanji voiced.

"Alright. Does it have something to do with the way you're looking at me?" They shared a look between each other before nodding at him. "That's fine. Whenever you guys are ready."

With that, Law spent more time with Luffy. The kid was still hyperactive even though it's been ten years. Law guessed that the man never lost his childishness. _I don't think he'll ever grow out of it. He's too innocent to lose it._

After a bit, Law was sitting against the mast while Luffy had his head in his lap. He was passed out while Law played with his hair. It soothed him and helped him get used to staying with them once again. Nami knew what direction they were going in. Mostly because they had been there before.

"Law?" He looked up to find Usopp near him. "Can we speak to you now?"

Looking down at Luffy, he sighed before moving without waking him up. He stood up before following the man into the kitchen. Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Robin were already in the room. He wondered why the others weren't there.

"What's this about?" he asked as he took a seat at the table.

"We have something to tell you about Luffy," Robin said as she sipped on some tea.

"Is it good or bad?"

All five shared a look between each other. Law guessed that they were trying to figure that out themselves. "Depends on how you look at it," Nami answered.

"That doesn't help me. What is it?"

Sanji blew out some smoke before answering him. "Luffy is is love with you."

Silence followed after that. Law sat there, not doing anything. In reality, he was trying to process what they just said to him. _What? When? For how long? This isn't something I was expecting for them to tell me._

"Since when?"

"About a few months before you died," Zoro answered. "He just didn't tell you. He told us, though."

"Do the others know?"

"We aren't quite sure. We haven't asked them about it," Robin answered. He nodded.

"When were you guys going to tell me about it?"

"We're telling you now, aren't we?"

"I meant if I wasn't going to die, when were you guys going to tell me?"

They lowered their heads. "We were going to tell you after the fight with Kaido. That's why it devastated Luffy as much as it had," Zoro said. "That was why he freaked out and killed him. That's also why he wanted you to live forever with him."

"I was actually wondering about that. He could've gotten any of you to stay with him. Hell, he could've chosen his own brother." He looked to the side. "Now, I realize why he wanted it to be me."

"Will you accept him?" He noticed that all of them were staring at him with expectant looks on their faces. 

"I... I don't know. Give me some time to think about it." They agreed to let him think it over. Law got up and left the kitchen. He found Luffy still sleeping soundly in the same spot he left him in. Sighing, he lifted Luffy's head up before sitting back down.

He put Luffy's head back in his lap. The guy snuggled closer to him as if he was trying to get as close to him as possible. It made him smile a little as he started playing with his hair again. _He loves me, huh? As much as I want to deny it and tell them they're wrong, I can see it now._ Law remembered the times the other would sit almost too close to him, how they would argue like a couple, how every time he wanted to shower, Luffy wanted to join him, how he stuck as close as possible to him just so he didn't lose sight of him, and how he would find some reason to place a hand on him or to just touch him. _Yeah. He loves me._ He breathed in before letting it out. _Now, I have to think about my feelings for him. I mean, I like him, but to what extent?_

**Are you all liking the story so far? Let me know what you think. Have a grand day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. In 1999 hackers revealed a security flaw in Hotmail that permitted anybody to log into any Hotmail account using the password 'eh'. At the time it was called "the most widespread security incident in the history of the web".**

**2\. A small population of Mammoths survived on the Wrangle Island until 1650 BC, about 900 years after the construction of The Great Pyramid of Giza were completed.**

**3\. The state of Ohio gives out different coloured license plates for those convicted of DUI.**

**4. _The Flintstones_ was the most profitable network cartoon fanchise for 30 years, that's before _The Simpsons_ came along.**


	6. What's Going On?

**What's Going On?**

It'd been about a week and a half since Law and Luffy's crew set out to Luffy's stash of gold and other things. About a week into their trip, Bepo found them and handed him his devil fruit. Law was shocked that they were able to find it as fast as they had. The problem that they had to face was that there were no fruit trees on the island that held Vegapunk's lab. Another problem that they had to overcome was that there were several islands equal distance from his lab that held fruit trees. Those were the main issues that they had to face.

At this very moment, though, Law was sitting in the room made specifically for him. He was sitting at a desk, staring at his devil fruit. When Bepo handed it over to him, Luffy and his crew had expected Law to eat it right then and there. When he didn't immediately eat it, they asked him if something was wrong.

Law told them that nothing was wrong. He was just... thinking. He didn't know how to feel about eating his fruit once again. Of course, he was given it the first time to save him life. Now, there wasn't really a reason to eat it again. Nobody else would ever be able to eat it again. Since Law would live forever, he would never die. Meaning that nobody would ever be able to get his devil fruit again. That was something he was trying to come to terms with.

As he continued to stare at his fruit, the door opened, and someone walked in. "Torao, are you going to eat it?" Luffy asked as he came to stand next to him. The young man had been worried since he got it. He didn't know that it would've bothered Law this much.

"Yeah. I'm gonna eat it," Law answered as he poked it. It was solid like most other fruits, but the taste was horrible and not at all sweet. All devil fruits tasted awful. Nobody knew why. Even Vegapunk couldn't figure that one out.

"When?"

Sighing, Law picked up the fruit. "When I feel like it. I might eat it later today," he answered. Looking at Luffy, he saw that he was smiling at him. "What?"

"We're almost to the island. Nami said that we're about two days away." Law nodded. He understood that they were getting there faster. The reason for that was because they were going full speed and Nami knew exactly where they were going.

"That's good." He placed the fruit in his pocket. Suddenly, there were loud thuds on the deck followed by shouts from many people. Too many to be just the Straw Hats.

He heard Luffy sigh. It was a frustrated, irritated sigh. "This happens more frequently now," he said as he went to leave the room.

"What's going on?" Law asked as he followed him to the deck.

Without saying a word, Luffy walked out onto the deck with Law close behind. He was shocked at what he found there. Now, Law understood what he meant by his words before. "Straw Hat, where're you headed?"

Law stared, wide-eyed, at Smoker. The man looked much older than the last time he saw him. It was strange how much the people he knew had changed in the time he was gone. The realization that everyone was going to look different hit him pretty hard. He'd been gone for ten years. Ten fucking years. Of course, everyone he knew was going to look ten years older than when he last remembered them to look like.

"Smoker, we've been over this many times before," Luffy started. Law was shocked at how mature the other sounded. "I'm just passing through. Y'all can't do anything about it. I have an agreement with the others."

Looking over at Luffy, Law was confused. _Agreement? What agreement? And with who?_ "Still doesn't make you any better than what you were before. You're still a filthy Pirate. That's never going to change." After a second, Smoker seemed to notice him. "Law? What're you doing here?"

Luffy stood in front of him before he could say anything to him. "He's traveling with me again. What's it to you?"

"There's something going on," Smoker growled as he stood there, his jutte pointed at them. "Especially with you, Law."

"What do you mean?" 

"Nobody's seen nor heard from you nor your crew for ten years." Law paled at his words. "Where've you been? Even Straw Hat found the One Piece. You weren't there to oppose him like Eustass Kid and the others were." His eyes widened as he looked back down at Luffy. "And he hasn't changed in that time. He still looks nineteen. You still look twenty-six. What've you done?"

"It doesn't matter," Luffy countered. Law tried to figure out what was wrong with them. The last time the two met with him there, they were on good terms and Luffy played around with him. Now, they didn't seem like each other at all. Luffy didn't even call Smoker by the nickname he gave him anymore. It was a tense atmosphere around them.

"I'll find out what happened. You can't keep it from the Government, either," he warned them.

"Alright. We have to get going. Get off my ship before I tell them that you're obstructing my path again," Luffy said. He sounded upset about something.

Smoker turned around and went to go back to his ship. It was net to theirs. "I'll get to the bottom of this. It's got the whole world on edge. Something isn't right here. I just know it."

When Smoker was back on his ship and in the distance, Law felt nervous about what he said. _The whole world's on edge? What's going on? What aren't Straw Hat-ya and his crew telling me? Do they not want me to know? What's happening? Why haven't they said anything to me about what's going on?_

"Torao, are you okay?" Luffy's voice made him look at him. The guy was looking at him with a concerned expression. "Is something wrong?"

"Straw Hat-ya, tell me what's going on in the world. Don't lie to me about it either." Luffy looked to the side. Law knew that something was up with him. The guy normally told him what he wanted to know, even if it wasn't good. "Straw Hat-ya, what aren't you telling me?"

"Luffy, he has a right to know," Robin said as she came over to them. "He doesn't know anything because he's been dead for ten years. You need to get him up to date on what's going on around him."

"I know I just... don't really want to," Luffy confessed. Law thought he'd lie and say not at the time or something like that. Not the blatant truth.

"Why? Is there something horrible going on?" He looked at Robin for help. "Nico-ya, what's going on?"

Before the woman could answer him, Nami came up to them. "Luffy's made a deal with the Government," she announced as she stood next to Robin. Law's jaw dropped at her words.

"What?" he asked. He couldn't believe what she said to him.

"Yeah. Ever since Luffy became the King of the Pirates, the Government left him alone. Some of our old enemies, like Smoker, are still sore about it. They don't agree with it because Luffy's a Pirate."

"But..." He remembered what Vegapunk said about Luffy. The Government didn't know that the man had been visiting.

"I know what you're thinking. The agreement was that Luffy wouldn't visit nor attack any Government buildings or islands." She crossed her arms over her chest. "Vegapunk's lab counts as a Government building."

"Oh. I see." That answered that question. "But what did Smoker mean about the world being on edge?"

"Nobody understands why Luffy decided to make a deal with them," Robin said. "Even we don't." Law looked over at Luffy. The guy wasn't looking at him nor the women. It was confusing and weird.

"Straw Hat-ya, why?"

"I have my reasons," he answered. That wasn't a good answer to Law, but he didn't press him about it anymore. It wasn't really his business what he did.

After a while, they were back to normal. Everyone was doing what they normally did. Law was sitting in the kitchen with Sanji. The cook was making lunch while Law was back to staring at his devil fruit. Luffy was doing something with Chopper and Usopp.

"Why haven't you eaten it yet?" Sanji asked out of the blue. It made Law look up at him. He'd been poking at his fruit for about twenty minutes.

"Huh?"

"You're sitting there poking it," the guy said as he turned to him. "Why haven't you eaten it yet? It's been a few days since you got it, right?"

"I know. I just..." Law didn't really know how to answer that question. "I don't know." He picked it up before looking it over. "I might eat it in a minute or so."

"You should eat it soon. I'm not an expert on them, but they probably start to go bad like any other fruit." Law laughed at that.

"That's where you're wrong, Black Leg-ya. They stay fresh up to when you eat it," he informed him. It was something he wanted to point out to him. "It's strange but still a trait that all devil fruits possess."

"That'd be great if all fruits were like that." Law agreed. It would be wonderful if all fruits, could stay fresh up to the time you either eat them or use them in dishes.

After a bit, Law decided that it was time. Lifting the fruit to his mouth, Law took a bite of it. He made a face at the taste. It was so bitter and sour. Law wanted to spit it out but knew he couldn't now. Continuing on, he ate the entire fruit, making a face the whole time.

"What's with that face?" Sanji asked.

"Devil fruits don't taste good. They taste horrible," Law replied. He didn't like the taste at all the hope that he'd never have to taste it again. "I didn't want to have to go through that again." He sighed.

"Well, you did."

"I know." Sanji went back to cooking. "When are you going to be finished with lunch?" he asked. Law was hungry and his stomach had been growling after a bit.

"In about thirty minutes or so. Don't worry, I'm going as fast as I can."

"Don't rush." Law got up and walked to the door. "I'm going to the library. If anyone asks you where I am, tell them that."

"Got it."

With that, Law left and made his way to the library. It was empty. Perfect. He was relieved and glad for it. Law needed some space from Luffy and the rest of the crew. Also, he needed to think about what the girls told him.

"Straw Hat-ya made a deal with the Government," he voiced aloud to himself as he laid on the seat to his left. he was trying to come to terms with the fact that Luffy did something like that. "What's with that? Why would he do that? What's going on?"

Turning over, he faced the back of the sofa seat. It wasn't something Law expected the other Captain to do. It confused him because Luffy never got along with the Government. He even punched a Celestial Dragon for God's sake. He's not a guy that would do that. Not without a legit reason.

As he thought about it, he heard the door to the room open. "Torao, Sanji said you're in here," Luffy said as he came in. Law didn't say anything to him. He felt the other come sit down beside him. "Is something wrong?" He sounded saddened and worried about how Law was acting. It made him feel bad.

"Straw Hat-ya, why did you make that deal with the Government? What's the point in it? I thought you hated the Government," he spoke his mind to him. Law didn't even turn over to look at Luffy. He didn't think he could while asking him that.

"Because I wanted them to stop trying to kill or arrest my crew," Luffy said as he removed Law's hat. After that, he started to run his fingers through his hair. Luffy gave him his hat back the day they left the lab. The guy had protected it and kept it with him at all times while Law was gone.

"Is that the only reason you did that?"

"For now, that's the only reason I can and will give you," Luffy answered. Law could tell that he was holding something important back from him. He knew he'd tell him in time, but it made him curious. The guy wouldn't make that kind of deal without having another reason other than to protect his crew. There had to be something else to it.

"Is Black Leg-ya done with cooking yet?"

"He said it'd be about ten more minutes." He felt Luffy lay down and spoon him from behind. His arms wrapped around his chest. "I love you, Torao. You know that, right?"

"Yes. Your crew told me," Law answered. Luffy pressed his face into his back and tightened his grip on his chest.

"Do you love me?"

Law thought about that question. It was something he had thought about almost constantly since his crew members told him. He had feelings for him, but he couldn't tell if they were love or something else. Coming to a conclusion, he hoped he didn't make the wrong decision.

"Yes. I love you," he responded. Law felt as if he loved him but knew it would probably grow even more over time. But he felt outed because Luffy wouldn't tell him what he wanted to know. It was a little frustrating but he'd get over it. Luffy pressed his face further into his back. Law could feel his love. But he felt bad. He had something he wanted to do after their trip to Luffy's vault. _It's going to upset him. It's going to upset all of them. I know it is but I want to know something._

**I know it's been a while. Please, forgive me. I've been busy with a lot of things. I'm really, really sorry for not updating in a while. I hope this chapter makes up for that. Please, have a wonderful day and stay safe. I love you all and hope you all are well. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. 12% of the world's total languages is found in Papua New Guinea, which has over 820 indigenous languages. There are more languages on this island than any other country.**

**2\. The hottest temperature ever recorded in Washington state was at Ice Harbor Dam at 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.8 degrees Celsius) on August 5, 1961.**

**3\. In efforts to undercut the Dreamcast's sales of the upcoming SEGA release, Sony announced the Playstation 2 and exaggerated its performance capabilities.**

**4\. Nepal has the most mathematical flag in the world. It even has an article in its constitution that details the steps of drawing the flag.**


	7. The Stash and Law's Actions

**The Stash and Law's Actions**

"We're almost there! I can see the island on the horizon from here!" Nami's shouting got Law to look away from his almost empty glass of whiskey. He'd been in the aquarium bar while the others were doing other things they wanted to do. Law didn't talk to Luffy that morning and just went to the bar to spend some alone time after breakfast. He was still trying to understand Luffy's actions while he was gone. It'd been like that for the past two days. Ever since he heard about the man's agreement with the Government and Smoker's visit.

"Torao! We're about to be there!" the man announced as he burst into the room. Law gave him his attention, trying to hide the glass with his body. The only one that knew he was drinking was Sanji. He asked the cook to keep quiet about it. Law didn't want to worry the others about his behavior. Sanji seemed to understand. Although, he didn't keep his location a secret from the rest of them.

"I'm coming," he responded, downing the rest of his glass with his back to the other. Law saw the look Luffy was giving him when he turned back around. It was as if he was worried about him. "What?"

"Were you drinking the whole time you were in here?" Luffy asked. It sounded as if he was accusing him of something. Law, mentally, reprimanded himself for letting the other know what he was doing.

"No." It was true. He only started drinking about an hour or two after he went in there. Mostly, he'd been thinking and watching the fish as he sat near the tank of them. "How much longer until we're there?"

Luffy didn't look convinced with his confession but seemed to let it go as he spoke again. "Nami said we're about an hour or so out from it." The guy came into the room and sat next to him. "Torao, are you still bothered by what Nami and Robin said the other day?" he questioned as Law pushed the empty glass away from himself.

"Not really. No." That was a total lie. He was still really worried about what they told him. Law didn't think he'd be over that any time soon. He didn't understand why the other man would make that kind of deal in the first place. Even if he said it was to keep his crew safe, Law knew there was more to it than just that. Luffy even said that there was. That's what concerned him the most.

"Alright." Luffy seemed to accept his lie. Law knew the other was perturbed about him because of how he's been acting for the past few days. The guy loved him. He even told Luffy that he loved him back, but he knew that feeling would grow even more the more time he spent with him. That was a good thing on his part because they'd been together forever.

After a bit, Nami came into the room and told them that they were at the island. Law nodded as he stood up. Luffy was right behind him. Once they were on the deck, he saw that the island that held Roger's treasure was a tropical island.

It had palm trees, a jungle, and small animals. Birds were flying around the outside of the jungle. They were in many different colours, making it look even more beautiful from where he was. Fish were swimming in the sea around the shore, their scales shining to make them look rainbow. The air from the island smelled sweet like flowers, honey, and fruit.

"Are you ready?" Luffy asked as he stood next to him. Law nodded. He wanted to see this stash that now belonged to the Straw Hat Captain. From the legends, it was huge and full of old things along with gold. Law wondered how true those rumors and legends were.

Once everyone was ready to go onto the island, Law stayed next to Luffy as he led the group to the place. As they walked, he looked around. There were many different fruits that looked odd along with other plants and flowers he'd never seen before. This island was so different from what he was used to.

Soon enough, they came to a large door that had carvings all over it. Luffy stepped up and removed the One Piece from his neck. In the middle of the door was an indention. He placed it in that spot and it made a noise. The door opened and Luffy removed the object. It sounded as if the door hadn't been opened in years.

With them open, Law looked inside. The whole place was completely dark. You couldn't see anything let alone your own feet and hands in front of you. "Um... It's really dark in here," Law voiced as he looked back at the young man. He felt stupid for even saying that. It was obvious.

"I know. Franky, can you light it up?" Law looked back at the cyborg.

"Of course." The man walked forward before his body started to glow. He was astonished that the man could do that. Franky seemed to notice his expression. "I added some lights in case we needed them. They come in real handy when you need a place lit up." Law nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

In the area, there was a set of stairs leading down. Luffy motioned for him to follow. Law did with Franky in the front. He guessed that the other knew exactly where to go. When they were at the bottom, another door stood in front of them.

Luffy opened this one and a light shone from inside. Franky turned his own lights off. Once the door was opened, Law stood in awe at the sight before him. He'd never expected it to look as amazing and breathtaking as it was.

In the room that they arrived in were mountains and mountains of gold coins and golden objects. There were tons of crowns with different kinds of gems in them, rings with diamonds, stacks of old, leather-bound books, scrolls, a King's cape was draped over a golden throne, a few golden staffs were against the wall, golden goblets all around the room, a poneglyph in the far back, and many more things. Law couldn't find his voice.

"So, what do you think?" Luffy asked. He was smiling from ear to ear as he turned to him. The reason there was light in the room was because there were cracks in the ceiling that let the light shine down. Law was still too stunned to say anything to him. "Torao, you okay?"

"I think he'll be fine," Zoro said. He came up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Law didn't acknowledge him. "He's just shocked is all."

"I see." Luffy took his hand before leading him over to the throne. "Torao, sit here." He got him to sit down before smiling. "You look just like a King. I love it." Law was still at a loss for words, but his face did heat up at the comments. He couldn't process what was going on just yet. His brain was trying to wrap around what was happening.

When he looked at the others, they were all smiling at him too. It felt as if he wasn't understanding something. Putting his attention back on Luffy, he saw that the man was smiling widely. He seemed really happy about it.

As soon as he found his voice, he asked Luffy a question. "You own all of this?" It was the first thing that came to mind. He was shell-shocked at knowing that Luffy was now the owner of Gol D. Roger's stuff. It was amazing and he still couldn't comprehend that he was the King of the Pirates now.

"Yeah. But I'll share it with you. I'm sharing it with the others. Now, I can share it with you forever," Luffy answered as he got him to stand again. He removed the cape and put it around his shoulders. The younger man grabbed a crown off a pile of coins before placing it on Law's head. He grabbed another and put it on his own head. "Ta-da! We're the Kings!"

Law chuckled, still in shock, though. Luffy's exclamation was funny because it was true. They were going to live forever, and nobody nor anything could kill them. They'd never be able to die. That wasn't something he really wanted to happen. But it was and he couldn't take back what he decided to do.

The other grinned at him as he hugged him. "You can have whatever you want from here. It's yours as well. We're sharing it. Whenever you want to come back, I'll bring you back here." Law nodded.

Robin handed him a bag. He knew it was to collect what he wanted in it. After he grabbed it, he put about ten handfuls of coins inside, two crowns, and a few books and scrolls inside. Law wanted to know what was written inside them.

When that was done, Luffy took the cape and crown off him and placed them back on the throne. They all walked out of the room. Franky lit back up so they could see their way back. Luffy shut the door after them.

With that done, they went back to the surface. Law could hear the coins jingling in the bag on his back. Luffy held his free hand as they walked. He didn't care and allowed it. Law was going to let Luffy do whatever he wanted to because he was going to do something that would royally piss him off and worry him to death. 

He chuckled to himself at that thought. _Worry him to death? He can't die. That's rich coming from the man that did it to him. Straw Hat-ya can't die because of me. I made a selfish decision and now we're both going to live with it. That was my fault._

As they walked out from the underground, Franky turned his light off again. Luffy shut the first door before they went back to the ship. Luffy continued to smile as they went back. It was as if he'd been promised a whole meat shop that would endlessly produce meat. Usopp and Sanji told him that they were going to an island that was really fun from this island. Law nodded, knowing what he was going to do already.

On the ship, Law dropped his bag off in his room before joining the others in the kitchen. It was lunchtime and they were going to have a full-course meal because Sanji wanted to make it. Law didn't question him, so he kept quiet about it.

Brook seemed to notice that something was on his mind. "Torao-san, what's wrong? It seems that something's bothering you," he commented. Law turned to look at the skeleton.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just... thinking about something," he confessed. He wasn't lying. Law was thinking about how he was going to do what he wanted. He wasn't going to tell the others because they were going to stop him and tell Luffy which would start a whole argument.

"About what?" Luffy asked.

"Nothing you should worry about." The other man frowned but didn't bother him about it anymore. Law felt bad, knowing that he was going to upset the whole crew with his own need to know something. It was more of a necessity than it was just a want.

The other Straw Hats didn't bother him about it and just continued to eat lunch as if nothing was happening. They were still as lively as he remembered them to be. Their appearances just changed a bit. That was something he found relieving. He was happy that their personalities hadn't altered with time. Law continued to come up with a plan to get away from the crew at night when they were all asleep. It was going to be tough, but he knew he was going to be able to do it.

When lunch was over, they went about doing what they wanted. Law and Luffy were spending time in the crow's nest. Zoro, for once, wasn't in there. He was sleeping on the deck near the mast.

"Torao, what were you thinking about earlier? Please, don't lie to me about it." Law sighed.

"I was thinking about what we're going to do now," he lied anyway. He wasn't going to let the other know until the next morning. They would try to stop him if they found out what he was planning.

"I see." Law was in between Luffy's legs while the guy played with his hair. He accepted Luffy's love and even reciprocated it. Law loved him and showed it when he could. It was nice and made him feel better. That was a good thing between them.

A while later, they had dinner before going to bed. As soon as Luffy fell asleep, Law waited a bit for the others to do so as well. He didn't want them to catch him in the middle of leaving. It would ruin his chances of ever leaving and they'd watch him in case he tried again.

Law moved around about three hours after the whole crew went to bed. When he was completely sure that everyone was asleep, he exited the bed with Luffy. He had to pry the arms and legs from around him without waking the guy up. That was a hassle all by itself.

As soon as he was out of the room, he went to the kitchen before the deck. He grabbed a bag of apples and a few bottles of something to drink so he could eat and stay hydrated on his trip. Once he was on the deck, he opened the hatch that held the shark submerge. "I"m really sorry about all this," he whispered as he went inside. "I'll be back in about a week or so. I need to check on something." Law hopped down and inside the submerge.

He had grabbed a few of his books and scrolls and a transponder snail so he could read and they could call him. By morning, he'd be long gone and knew they'd want to talk to him. _Probably yell at me too. I wouldn't put it past Straw Hat-ya to yell at me for doing what I'm doing. It should be fine, though._

Inside the submerge, he started it up before opening the channel to leave. Law left without making any noise and knew he was going to get chewed out when morning came. He was betting that Luffy was going to be beyond pissed at him for doing something so reckless after rejoining the world again.

After driving for a few hours, Law guessed that he was far enough away that he could stop and go to sleep for the night. Getting comfortable in the chair, he let exhaustion and tiredness take him away. He hoped that he didn't bug the other too much. He'd see that by morning.

**I'm really, really sorry about not updating anything in a few days. I had some personal issues as to why. If you want to know what was going on, I don't mind letting you know. Anyway, how is this chapter? You'll all find out what Law's doing soon. If you want, you can guess in the comments. Please, let me know what you think. Have a wonderful day and I love you all dearly. Tatty-bye!**

**P.S. - It's been almost a week since I wrote this. My personal problem has been the reason I haven't posted it until now. Hope that's fine.**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. Every 10 years, the human skeleton repairs and renews itself. Essentially, you have different bones now than you did 10 years ago!**

**2\. The first game to be played in space was Starcraft - Daniel Barry took it with him in 1999 on the Space Shuttle mission STS-96.**

**3\. Houston is the most diverse city in the United States. As of 2010, 43.8% is Latino, 25.6% is White, 23.1% is Black, and 6% is Asian.**

**4\. May 29th is "National Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day". It is celebrated in Europe & USA to bring lunck & wealth to the household.**


	8. His Choice

**His Choice**

The soft light of the morning sun awoke Law from his somewhat peaceful slumber. He'd slept in the driver's seat because there was nowhere else he could've slept other than the floor. The submarine was kind of very small. Law rubbed his eyes as he put his feet down. The shark submerge hadn't moved since he had stopped the night before, and he was very certain he'd get a call at some point that morning. It was only just a matter of waiting for it.

Looking around at the controls, Law realized that it'd been heavily updated since he'd last been inside. There was a mechanism that allowed for an autopilot. All you had to do was put in the destination he wanted to go to.

He looked at the part and figured out how it worked in only a few minutes. Law was pretty savvy with tech sometimes. His destination was to a Government building. Law entered the place and set it for autopilot. The submarine jerked before going forward. He checked to see if everything was in working order.

Once that was done, he went to find something to eat. Getting up from the driver's seat, Law went to the bag that held food and drink and dug through it. He found an apple. "That should be fine," he said to himself. He grabbed a bottle of water as well before going to the other bag he brought.

It had a few of the books and scrolls he chose along with some clothes. Law grabbed one of the books before going to the back of the sub. There were a chair and a desk in the back that faced away from the controls and front window. The snail he took was sitting on it. He sat down at the desk before opening the book on top of it. Law took a bite out of his apple as he started reading the first page.

It was a journal. That made him curious. Law was interested in who wrote it. The good thing was that he could read it. For the book looking and seeming old, it was written in a language he understood and could make out. Though, the handwriting was kind of sloppy. _Kind of reminds me of Straw Hat-ya's handwriting._ After that thought, he began reading again.

_I want to document my travels in this book. Others should know and learn about my thoughts and what I went through. My name is Gol D. Roger. Whoever reads this book is either the next Pirate King or a friend of theirs. Either one is fine with me._

Law's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that it was the old Pirate King that wrote it. It was amazing. _I never knew that he kept track of what he did and where he went while he was traveling._ _Rayleigh-ya never said anything about it._ Law went back to reading. He wanted to know more.

_So far, I have traveled almost all over the world. I have many, many stories and things to say. But one thing I have to say right now is that I don't have much longer before I'm going to be caught. Garp is onto me. I know it. And I don't think I'll be able to outrun him this time around. I just hope he listens and accepts my last request about my child. Rouge will try everything she can to protect him or her. She'll make a good mother. Also, they can't blame my child for what I've done. My actions shouldn't determine his/her life. I've made many mistakes in my life and done things I probably shouldn't have, but they should be able to live a good, happy life without being bothered by that._

"But he was still blamed for his actions," Law voiced. He felt bad for Ace. "They shouldn't have done that. Ace didn't do anything. I agree. He shouldn't have been blamed for what he did before he died."

He continued to read about the adventures and eat his apple. They were fascinating and very engaging. Law was on the edge of his seat while reading about them. He really enjoyed reading about the life of the former Pirate King.

After a little while, he was getting to the end of the book. It was a little disappointing, but he'd enjoyed it. That's when the snail started going off. Law almost fell backward in the chair from how sudden it was.

Putting the book to the side, he took a deep breath before picking up the speaker. Law was about to say something when Luffy started talking. Or more like screaming into the snail. "Torao! Where are you?! What happened?! Are you okay?!" He didn't sound angry yet, but Law knew he'd be pretty mad in a second. Luffy sounded worried more than anything at the moment.

"I'm... I'm fine," he answered. Law looked away from the snail. The eyes looked just like Luffy's. That was a problem for him. He couldn't look at it because of that. "I... I took the... shark submerge." Silence followed that statement. Law knew it was just the calm before the storm. So, he tried to brace for the inevitable. 

Then "WHAT?!" was screamed into the snail. Law flinched at it. He knew that it was going to happen. "Torao, have you lost your Goddamn mind?! What the fuck are you doing?! Where are you right now?!"

"Stop yelling at me," Law retorted. He didn't want to be mean to him, but he hated to be yelled out. "I'm checking on something. I'm going to be gone for a little while. Don't worry. Nothing's going to happen to me."

"Luffy, go cool off. I'll talk to him for now," Nami spoke up. He heard the other man scream out before stomping followed. A door slammed after a second. It was a moment later that Nami began to speak again. "Law, that wasn't a very smart move to make. Not since you came back, at least. You have no idea what's going on around you."

"Why? What's going on? I just need to check on something. Can't I do that? I'm a free man." Law was getting frustrated with the conversation. It was as if she knew something he didn't. That wasn't something he liked.

"Because the Government's been on edge ever since you 'disappeared'. They're worried that you've been plotting something. I don't blame them. You're a really smart and strategic man. I understand their concern about that." Nami sounded worried. "If you get caught by them, I don't know how that'll go. All I can say is for you to be careful."

"I promise I'll be careful. It's not like I can die, anyway."

"Don't say that. Just because you can't die doesn't mean they won't torture you. You never know." Law paled at the implications of that. He gave off a heavy, defeated sigh.

"I won't be but only a few days at the most. Straw Hat-ya needs to calm down. It's not that bad. He can call me later when he won't be shouting at me," Law answered. He wasn't angry that Luffy called him all upset. It was something he expected from him.

"Alright. I'll let him know. He might still be pissed when he comes back later. Just... try to be nice and not upset him anymore. He was really distraught when he found out you weren't here. We had to check the whole ship more than three times just to let him know you aren't here. Then, we found out you took a snail." She was quiet for a moment. "That made him a little bit happy because we have a way to communicate with you."

"I know that. I'll talk to him later. Right now, I'm going to check on the route I'm taking." He went to put the speaker down when Nami gave him a piece of information he didn't know, and it almost freaked him out.

"I think I should tell you this before Luffy remembers." Nami took a deep breath before saying it. "There's a tracking device in the shark submerge. We know exactly where you are and how far you are from us. Luffy just forgot about it for now. When he does remember, we'll be coming to you. I'm just warning you before that happens."

"Thanks, I guess. Robo-ya installed it, didn't he?" It was something he expected from the guy. 

"He and Usopp created it together. They came up with it in case something happened while someone was inside the submarine. I'm really sorry about that."

"It's... It's fine. I've set it on autopilot. Also, I left the ship last night while you all were sleeping. I went on for a while before stopping for the night to sleep." He knew he should check on it. "Alright. Goodbye, and you guys should stay safe. I'll see you in a few days or so."

"Got it. Expect a call from Luffy later today." Law agreed before hanging up. He laid his head on his arms as he went over the information he'd been given. It was almost too much for his brain to handle.

_They've got a tracking device in here and can figure out my exact location. This is just great. When Straw Hat-ya realizes and remembers that, they'll be on their way to me in a heartbeat. I need to get further away for when that happens._

Getting up, Law went to check on the autopilot system. When he got there, everything seemed okay. Law looked around at the controls again before pressing a few buttons. It made the sub lurch forward. That's when he realized that it was moving at a much faster rate than before. That was a good thing. A smile came to his face. The submarine was very similar to his own sub. Just a little different.

He went back to the book from before to finish it. Once that one was done, Law went to go look at one of the scrolls. When he grabbed it, he started reading. It was about medicines and other medical knowledge from centuries ago. That was interesting. Law hadn't read about the diseases and medicines that were written down.

Law was getting more information about what happened back then. He knew he should be watching what was going on outside, but the scroll had his attention. Law was caught up in the scroll. He didn't know how long it'd been, but he guessed a few hours or so.

The snail went off again. This time, though, he did fall backward. Law had been starting to fall asleep when it rang. Groaning, he got up and fixed the chair. He sat back down before picking up. "Straw Hat-ya, is that you?" he asked into it. Law was a little nervous about talking to him so he chose his words carefully.

"I've... I've calmed down," the other Captain said. "Torao, where are you heading to? Please, tell me. I _**need**_ to know." Law could hear the desperation in his voice as he spoke. Especially the stain he put on the word 'need'. It made him feel guilty for doing what he was.

"Um..." Law didn't want to upset him anymore. So, he told him half of the truth. "I'm going to visit a Government building. I won't tell you which one, but I'm going to one of them." Law could sense that Luffy was getting pissed.

"Law, you know I can't go to any of them because of the agreement," Luffy reminded him. Law shivered a bit at the use of his first name from the other. From shock or something else, he didn't know. "Why're you going there anyway? And don't tell me the shit you told Nami. What're you checking on?"

"Straw Hat-ya, I need to look in and confirm something. Just to calm my mind. I swear, nothing's going to happen to me. I'll be fine. Please, just let me do this." Law was almost begging the poor guy. He wanted to do this to help himself more than anything else. Law just had to know.

"Torao, if anything does go wrong, I'll have to betray my agreement with them. I won't and refuse to let anything happen to you. You're all I have. Forever. When the others are gone, you'll be the only one left with me. Please. Please, promise me you won't do anything rash or to put yourself in danger." Law could hear how strained his voice was. He knew he was trying to keep from shouting and crying. That made him feel even worse about it.

"Okay. I'll try not to do anything like that. But I can't predict how they'll react to seeing me," Law admitted.

"I know that. That's why I'm asking you to be careful." Law promised he'd try to stay safe. Luffy seemed to accept it but didn't sound happy about it. He knew he wouldn't be. It was true. Law was all he'd have when his crew, friends, and family passed away.

After they hung up, Law went to the front of the submarine. He'd been sitting at the desk in the back for hours. It hadn't been there before. Law guessed that they installed it while making the sub a little bigger while adding other things to it. Overall, it was still the same as when he was in it when they went to get Caesar back from Breed.

His eyes widened. "Gods. That was ten years ago. I can't believe it. It feels like it was almost yesterday when that happened. That's a little unnerving." He sat down in the driver's seat and watched the ocean before him.

The autopilot was able to move around obstacles in front of it while keeping on course. That was amazing. _Robo-ya is a fantastic builder. Maybe he can teach me how to build ships like the Thousand Sunny. That'd give me something to do since we might need to know how to fix it properly._

Looking at the sky above the water, it was getting dark. He sighed. "Might as well eat something before resting for the night. I don't think I'll make it there by today. No problem. I just need to be patient."

Going to the bag, he dug through it and came upon some dried meat. It was a bag of apples. _Huh. Must've fallen inside._ He ate it anyway while drinking another bottle of water. He didn't care about what he ate at the time. As long as he ate something, he'd be fine. It wasn't like he'd die from starvation.

After his meal, Law went to the passenger seat. He sat down and propped his feet up like he had the night before. The sub was still going, and he knew it would until he got where he needed to go. Law closed his eyes and let sleep take him away. His last thoughts were about where he was heading and what he told Luffy and Nami.

...

The next morning, Law woke up to the snail going off. Rolling his head to the side, he, lazily, stared at it on the desk behind him with lidded eyes. Groggily, he stood up and stumbled to the desk before sitting down.

Rubbing his eyes, Law picked up the speaker. "Hello?" he asked in a sleepy, hoarse voice. He had no idea who was on the other side. Law wasn't awake enough to be talking to anyone.

'Good morning, Torao," came out of the receiver in a sing-song voice. Law knew, exactly, who it was. _Straw Hat-ya, it's way too early for this shit._

"Straw Hat-ya, why'd you call me? What time is it?" he questioned before turning around. The sun was up but it looked to be still very early.

"It's around six or seven. I wanted to know how you are. Have you run into any trouble so far?" There was something hidden in the happy tone he was using. He knew the other figured something out. That's when what Nami said came back to him.

"You're tracking me, aren't you?" Law knew he caught him. Luffy wasn't overly cheery for no reason. There had to be something that excited him.

"Um... well... uh..." _Gotcha. You can't lie to me. I know you too well, Straw Hat-ya. It's not possible._

"Look, you don't have to lie to me. I don't care if you're tracking me or not. I couldn't care less about what you're doing." Law leaned back in the chair. "I'm not going to stop you but I'm still going to where I have in mind. You aren't stopping me from doing that. But you can come pick me up after."

"Torao, where are you going? I don't want you to say a Government building again. I'll tell you this, Usopp and Nami said that we're about a half a day to a day and a half away from you. Or, that's what the tracker says. I can't really read it still." He was quiet for a moment. "Law, when you get back here, I'm going to beat the shit out of you."

Law was surprised at hearing that. "What? Why?" He never knew Luffy would say that to him. Or anyone that he saw a friend.

"Don't worry about it right now. Just know that it's going to happen." Law didn't like the sound of that. "I'll see you when we get to you." Suddenly, a beeping sound was coming from the control part of the submarine. "Torao, what's that?"

"I don't know. Give me a second." Law put the speaker down before going to the front to check out what was going on. Once he was there, Law looked out the window. He saw what seemed to be land in front of him. It was a good ways away but still there.

Looking down, he saw that on the navigational screen, there was a dot blinking. Not understanding how it worked for the moment because he was still sleepy, Law went back to the snail. He picked it up again.

"Straw Hat-ya, what does a blinking dot mean on the screen?" Law didn't feel like thinking at the moment.

"Um... I think it's where you wanted to go. You'll have to ask Franky or Usopp that. I'm not really sure."

"This sub is very fast," Law, absentmindedly, said. He knew that subs were fast but not that fast. It'd only been a day and a half. He'd expected to be gone a few days. Not so short. "I expected to be a few days or more."

"Franky modified the shark submerge III. It goes faster than anything else. Kind of like when we use the burst on the ship." Law nodded, not really sure what else to do. Even if Luffy couldn't see him do it. "Just like how the ship goes faster now. That's why we're only half a day to a day and a half away from you."

"Then, why did it take so much longer to get to the island?" Law asked.

"Because we were farther away from it than where you're going, wherever that is." He nodded again. "Torao, don't do anything until we get there."

"I'm sorry." Before Luffy could say anything else, Law hung up. He knew that it'd piss him off, but he had something to do.

Walking back, he took control of the submarine and turned off the autopilot. Law made it surface so he could see the island. The prison was looming in the distance. He knew they'd be heavily guarded because of what Luffy had done. It was, probably, still that way twelve years later.

Once he got to the beach, Law stopped the vessel. He watched as Marines started to surround it. "Whoever you are, get out now! We aren't going to tell you twice!" one shouted at him. They had guns raised and looked ready to shoot the submarine.

Law got up and went to the hatch to get out. Once it was open, he could tell that they were tense just from the atmosphere. Their guns were cocked as he climbed out. "I'm not here to cause problems," Law announced as he poked his head out.

He watched all of their eyes widen as they stared at him. "T-Tra-Trafalgar L-L-Law..." one said in a scared and shocked tone.

"Yes. That's me. I'm here to know something." They all, quickly, held their guns at him again. He didn't even blink as he exited the shark submerge completely. "Can someone answer a question for me?" he asked, hopping down before walking forward.

"Don't come any closer!" another shouted. Law halted in his tracks. "What do you want?! What're you doing here?!"

"Answer me this, is Donquioxte Doflamingo still alive?"

"Wh-What?"

"Is he still alive or not?" Law questioned once again. He made a room before bringing his nodachi out to him. "It's a simple question. Is he or not?"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Law saw one Marine shaking. She looked very nervous and ready to shoot him. He knew that if he did anything else, she'd fire at him. _That might not be a good idea. If she shoots me, that might create chaos around me._

"Can someone, please, tell me if he is or not?"

"Y-Yes. He's... He's still alive," a young man replied. He was shaking as well. Law was happy to hear that the man was alive.

"Can I see him?" That got him a few confused looks but the others still seemed terrified that he was there. Not something he was bothered by. When no one answered him, Law took a step forward. The female Marine that'd been shaking screamed. Then, a gunshot sounded in the air.

Law's eyes widened as he felt the pressure in his head. It made him fall onto the ground face-first. _Well, that was a good shot. I'll give her that. But they'll be very worried when I get back up._ "You... You killed him!" a guy shouted. He sounded happy yet worried.

After a moment or so, Law groaned as he lifted himself to his hands and knees. That earned him a whole symphony of screams. "Now, can someone take me to him?" He watched a good amount of them faint on the spot and the rest looked at him in horror. _Well, this is going to be a very big problem now. Isn't it?_

**What's gonna happen? Stay tuned to find out. Is this chapter good? I tried to keep the shark submerge III the same but just an updated version. It has been ten years after all. Have a terrific day and I love you all. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun Facts:**

**1\. When double rainbows occur, the colours of the second arc are always reversed.**

**2\. Bookworms are actual insects that bore holes in books. A major book feeding insect is a paper louse which feeds on microscopic mold in poorly kept books.**

**3\. 3 inches of ice can support one person, on foot. 4 inches can support a group of people, single file. 36 inches can support up to 110 tons of weight.**

**4\. January 17th is known as "Ditch New Year's Resolution Day".**


	9. Getting Inside

**Getting Inside**

The few remaining Marine soldiers that hadn't passed out from him getting back up stood in shock and horror as Law stayed in his spot where he was. Most of them seemed to be frozen in pure fear from watching him get shot in the head before getting right back up after the hit. He didn't mind the reaction. I mean, it's a normal one, right? Seeing a person get shot square in the head then get up as if nothing happened wasn't normal so their actions were justified.

"Can someone take me to him?" he repeated. Law understood that they were having issues, but he wanted to see the man. It wasn't a big ask, in his opinion. It was simple.

Finally, a female Marine soldier stepped forward. She looked no older than twenty. "I... I'll t-take you t-to h-him," she stuttered out. Law could see her shaking from where he was. That was a good twenty to twenty-five feet away.

"Alright." Law walked forward only for the ones still conscious around her to run to their fallen comrades. The only one that didn't scurry away was the woman that said she'd take him to Doflamingo. As soon as he got to her, he noticed that she was about a foot shorter than him. "Take me to him."

"Y-Yes, s-sir." With that, they turned to Impel Down, which was looming in the distance. He watched as she was unsteady on her feet as they walked. That made him a little worried for her. _I know she's scared of me, but she might hurt herself if she keeps this up._

Choosing to help her out, Law tried to calm her fears. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you. That's not why I'm here. I just need to talk to Doflamingo. You can calm down." He knew she, probably, wouldn't trust him but it was worth a shot to try.

"H-How do I kn-know th-that?" she questioned him. _She had a point. I'm a complete stranger to her and was known for being merciless. That's a good reason not to trust me. So, I don't blame her._

"You have a point there. But I promise I won't hurt you. I'll be gone as soon as I'm done talking to Doflamingo." She didn't answer him this time. That didn't matter to him. But he did want to say something else to her. "Also, I don't want to face anyone else. Do you know how to get to Doflamingo without bumping into anyone?"

The female Marine stopped before turning to give him an incredulous look. "You... You mean... like a secret entrance?" she questioned. Her fear from before seemed to diminish but was still there. _I like her bravery._

"Sort of. I just don't want to have to interact with other Marines or Officials. Do you know of something like that?" The woman looked to be thinking for a second after he inquired about it. He knew she knew of a passage like that. She wouldn't be thinking so hard about it if she hadn't.

"Well, there is an entrance that isn't used anymore. They stopped using it about five years ago." Law nodded. "It lets you go through all of the levels using a small door that's hidden from the other side."

"That sounds perfect. Can you take me there?" Seeing her hesitate, Law knew she wasn't really okay with helping him. "I'm not going to hurt you nor will I tell anyone you helped me. I just need to do this."

"Okay. I can take you there. But I won't go in with you."

"That's fine with me. I just need to know how it works." Law was delighted that she was willing to help him with that. She seemed to be getting over her fear of him since he wasn't threatening her nor trying to hurt her. _That's good. I don't need her to freak out on me right now. That'd be a problem if she alerted anyone else that I'm here._

They started walking again. While they did, she explained the passage to him. "The passage is located on the opposite side of the prison. Not many people go to this part because there isn't a need to. Everyone is brought in through the front. There isn't anything on this side." They started up what seemed to be an incline up to the back of the outer part of the prison.

"So, it's pretty much been forgotten?" Law asking, understanding what she was talking about.

"That would be right. Not many people remember it. As I said before, it hasn't been used in five years."

"Then, how do you know about it?" He watched her body go rigid but not stop walking.

"When I got here three years ago to help out, I explored the entire island and prison. This is the only other entrance to get inside. It goes to all six levels plus the ground level." She went quiet for a moment. _I wonder what's wrong. Is there a problem?_ "But once you get in, it's hard to get back out. The only way back out is the main entrance or, if you can, this way again. That's if, and only if, you can remember where the door is or can see it."

"What do you mean?"

"The door is almost completely invisible once you get inside the level you want to go to. It blends in with the wall. Unless you remember where it is or can feel around to find it, you won't even know it's there," she explained.

"I see. So, as long as I remember where it's located on the wall, I'll be able to get out." The woman nodded. Law was thankful for that. He had a great memory. _I won't forget where it is. That's going to be easy to remember._

They continued walked for about an hour before they got to the back. Once they arrived, she turned to him. "This is as far as I'm taking you. If I take you any further, I could get arrested for aiding you in being able to get inside," she said.

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." He went over to the door before his arm was grabbed. Law stopped and turned to see the woman done it. "What is it?" He was confused by her action. _She was terrified of me before. Now, she doesn't seem so scared of me. Why?_

"I... I don't think you're as bad as they say you are," she blurted out. Law's eyes widened as she looked to the side, still holding onto his arm. "We... We were told that you're ruthless and me. But you don't seem like either of those things. I just... can't see that in you. You've been nice and polite since you arrived here."

Law smiled as he turned to fully face her. "No. They were correct about those two things. But that's only to people who get in my way. You've helped me, so I don't see a problem in treating you properly. Most Marines said that because they attacked me."

"Oh. I see." Law saw her cheeks turn a light shade of pink. "Be... Be safe."

"Same to you." With that, she let his arm go and he turned back to the door. Opening it, the sound of the hinges straining and groaning made him flinch. Once it was open, he stuck his head inside. The staircase was dark and there was no sign of light. "Huh. Didn't expect it to be so dark," he commented aloud. _Well, this might be a little more of a problem for me now. I don't have anything to help me nor can I see in the dark._

"Hang on." He looked back at the woman. She went over to a rock before reaching behind it. Law was a bit bewildered when she picked up a small lantern. As soon as she had it, she brought it over to him. "Here. I left this here the last time I ventured back to this spot. It should have enough oil inside to get you all the way down and back up. Just... cut it off when you get down there. Or it'll waste the oil inside and you won't have a light to get back."

'Alright." He accepted the lantern from her. Then, he was handed a packet of matches. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Just... watch yourself. Don't try to get caught. I can't promise you anything that might happen if you are."

"Got it." With those last words to each other, they parted ways. The young Marine woman went on her way back to where she came from while Law lit a match and was able to get the lantern going. "Here goes nothing." Then, he entered the building, shutting the door behind him with an audible thud.

Inside the space, he could smell the dust and musk from not being used. It was cold and confined. Looking down, he saw that the stairs went on for a while. _I guess it stops on each floor._ Looking up, he saw a door before him. _Ground floor, ground door. I need to go down until I get all the way to the sixth level._

Taking a deep breath, Law started walking. It was eerie and disturbing as he went. Each step he took sounded too loud in the space. But the added echo made it even worse. It was creepy and made him tense.

It took a bit before Law got to a landing. Lifting the lantern, he looked at the door to his right. Raising it higher, he found a number over the door. It read 1. "This is the first level. I just need to go down about five more to get to him," Law spoke to himself. Even though he was whispering to himself, the space threw his voice, making it echo a few times.

Moving back to the stairs, he continued on his journey. As he got to the second level, he heard people speaking on the other side of the door. They were close enough to hear. He decided to stop and listen to what they were talking about.

"Did ya hear that Trafalgar Law's back after ten years?" he heard a man say aloud. He sounded both surprised and amazed at knowing that.

"Yeah. Smoker was the first Marine to see him after so long," another guy responded to the first. Law was interested in what they were talking about. _It's already been spread that I'm back. Not very surprising._

Continuing to listen, he stood next to the door. "I heard that he looks the same as he did ten years ago. Smoker told the Government that something fishy's going on. What that guy's been doing for the past decade is still a mystery to everyone," a new man joined the conversation.

"I heard about that too. Maybe he's been planning something against the Government," someone else suggested. "I mean, it's not unknowing that he hates them. I wouldn't be surprised if he was planning something with Straw Hat Luffy."

"You have a point there. It was confirmed that he was with the King of the Pirates when Smoker saw him. He said he was."

Law was astonished at their speculations. _People on the second level of the prison know all about my reappearance. I guess the Marines that patrol have been talking about me around the prisoners. I'm not surprised about it._

After that, they stopped talking. Taking that as his cue, Law went back to traversing through the narrow stairwell. He was just hoping that he got to the sixth level soon because he wanted to hurry up and get it over with before Luffy got there and started something.

Getting to the third level, Law heard a similar conversation as on the second level. It wasn't surprising anymore. They had the same theory as the ones on the floor before. _Does everyone in the prison know about me disappearing for ten years and now being back? It must've been really big news when it happened. But I understand why. I was one of the most feared Pirates of that time._

As he went down the next two floors, he heard the same things like the two floors before. That confirmed that the Marines talked about things in front of the prisoners. It wasn't that shocking because they couldn't do anything because they were behind bars.

Passing by the fifth level, Law was trying to mentally prepare himself to face off against Doflamingo for the very last time. He knew he'd never, ever see the man again after this. Law had no reason to ever come back after he spoke to the older guy.

Arriving at the sixth level door, it was the end of the stairs. Law stood in front of the door, contemplating what he wanted to say when he was face to face with the man. _Com on, Law. Get it together. You need to be able to face him without letting your emotions get the better of you. You can do this._

After his little pep talk in his head, Law took a deep breath before going to pry the door open. The sound of it creaking from lack of use made him cringe. It was discomforting and could get him caught. He knew that but still opened it enough to slip through.

Once he was on the other side and the door was shut, Law turned to see that it was true. The door was almost entirely blended in with the wall. "I see what she was talking about. I can remember where it is in case I have to, quickly, leave. No problem," Law whispered as he turned the lantern off.

This area was a lot brighter than the passageway but still pretty dark. He looked around to see tons of cells in there. Walking forward, Law chose his steps carefully, looking into the cells for any sign of Doflamingo. _Where the hell did they put him? Is he sharing a cell with others or not? I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't._

Strolling past a particular cell, a hand reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt. It made him stop and spin to see who did that. Law was face to face with a large man that looked horrible from malnutrition. "You're from outside, right?' he inquired in a hoarse voice.

"Yes," Law answered. "Can you tell me where Doflamingo's cell is? Or the direction he's in?"

"Can you do me a favor in return?" Law raised an eyebrow at the request.

"What do you want me to do?" 

"Tell me, you're Trafalgar Law, right?"

"Yeah. Is that the favor you wanted to ask me? You want to know my name?" He was a little skeptical that it was what he wanted.

"No. It's not. I'd like or you to tell me what happened for the ten years you were gone. What were you going and why were you gone?" Law was stunned by the question he was given. He was expecting the guy to ask him to help him escape. But the guy seemed to only want to know what was going on.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea what's happened in the past ten years. I was in a coma for that whole time," he half lied. He really didn't know what happened so that was true. The second part was a lie. Law didn't see a reason to tell him the full truth about what happened to him ten years before.

"I see. Thank you." The man released Law's shirt from his grasp. "Doflamingo has a room all to himself down the hall from here. He's been restless lately and screaming about random shit that makes no sense to the rest of us." Law furrowed his eyebrows. "I believe he's finally lost it."

"I see. Thanks." The man nodded before going back into the cell.

With that, Law took his leave and went in the direction he was given. As he walked, it was kind of disconcerting because everyone seemed to stare at him as he passed by their cells. Law didn't like being the center of attention like that. It was creepy and unnerving as hell.

Getting to the door that was indicated to him, Law opened it, easily, before entering. He closed the door after himself before turning to face the cell before him. To his utter surprise, Doflamingo was sitting against the wall, staring right at him.

"Have you come back to torment me some more? I'm getting real sick of these fucking hallucinations," Doflamingo voiced in a low, aggravated, hoarse tone. Law felt a slight bit of pity for him. But it wasn't enough to actually feel any real emotion toward him.

"No. I'm not a hallucination. It's really me," Law announced. He came and sat in front of the bars, far enough away so that Doflamingo couldn't touch him if he decided to try to. "I would like to tell you about what happened ten years ago after your defeat."

Doflamingo started laughing. It was an insane-sounding laugh. "Alright. Enlighten me on what happened to you. I know you disappeared ten years ago. Where did you go and why the hell haven't you shown up until now? You don't even look a day older than back then." Law could hear the suspicion in the other's voice.

Law took a deep breath, knowing he had a lot to tell him. He decided to start with what was going to overwhelm the man before him the most. "I died ten years ago."

**Cliffhanger. Stay tuned for what will happen next. Hope this chapter was up to all of your standards. I wish you all a happy-filled day. Love you all so much. Tatty-bye!**

**Fun facts:**

**1\. Your earlobes line up with your nipples.**

**2\. Jupiter completes a rotation of the Sun every 11.86 years.**

**3\. Hanson made a beer called "Mmmhops". They give away a free song with every bottle.**

**4\. Using a hands-free device to talk on the phone while driving is shown to be equally and more dangerous than driving drunk.**


End file.
